Love Triangle
by coolalisa
Summary: Harry breaks up with Ginny after an incident between her and Hermione. A comment with malicious intent from Ginny makes Harry realize that he's in love with Hermione, who is dealing with her own feelings for Harry. Disregards epilogue in DH. Snape lives.
1. Once friends, now enemies

The war was over. Voldemort was really gone and he was not ever going to come back. For a long time, the Saviour of the Wizarding world was lost and empty. He shunned the public life and refused to see anyone but Hermione and the Weasley's. So many had lost their lives. Remus, Tonks, Fred... Snape had been saved by his own house-elf, who had taken him straight to St Mungo's where they had treated him for nearly three months before he was fit to leave.

But Hermione's parents... A few renegade Death Eaters had attacked the Granger's after the war was over, wanting to stir up some trouble. Mr Granger had been hit with some sort of curse that no one knew it was, but it slowly but steadily took his life – almost seven months later he drew his last breath. Mrs Granger had been hit many, many times with the Cruciatus Curse that with time made her a bit wonky in the head. What caused her to go insane was the fact that she had to watch her husband wither away in front of her.

When Harry finally came out his shell, he realized that he still wanted to be an Auror. He took the exams needed to be allowed in to the academy and then he became fully devoted to his studies. At Halloween he had surprised Ginny at Hogwarts, who had returned to Hogwarts for her last year as soon as the school had been restored, finally declaring that he wanted her back and Ginny had jumped into his arms without hesitation. Ron and Hermione had been dating, but when she finally realized that she really loved someone else, it felt wrong to stay with Ron. Hermione broke up with him a few weeks before Christmas.

And now, a year and a half after the destruction of Voldemort, the story begins.

* * *

* * *

Ginny pressed her lips against Harry's. She let out a little satisfied sigh and sat back down against the couch again. They had been together for two and a half months now. She was home from Hogwarts over the Christmas break and Harry had spent as much time possible with her.

"I'm so happy you're mum allowed me come over to spend the night with you," she said in a low, husky voice. "We're going to have so much fun."

Harry gave her a twisted smile.

"Oh, really?" he wondered. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

Ginny leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

"Do you have to ask?" she answered in the same husky voice. "I think you can use your imagination – now we can have some fun in the sack without worrying that someone will catch us."

At the same moment, there was a rustling noise from the hall, like someone was opening the front door from the outside with a key. Ginny gave Harry a bewildered look.

"I would have thought Ron had returned his key by now, seeing as he moved out two months ago."

Harry sighed, but he nodded.

"He did," he answered simply. "But there's something I've forgotten to tell you."

Ginny's eyes narrowed – she didn't like the sound of that. The door opened and was slammed closed.

"Honey, I'm home!" came a female voice from the hall.

Ginny frowned in confusion, she knew that voice, but Harry just shook his head in amusement.

"Hey, Hermione," he greeted.

Hermione came into the living room, swinging her keys around with a small smile on her face. But when she saw Ginny the smile vanished.

"Oh, I forgot you weren't going to be alone," she murmured and glanced at Ginny. "Sorry for intruding. Hi, Ginny."

Harry waved her words away with his hand and gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he answered. "How are you? Your mum?"

Hermione shrugged and sighed deeply.

"I picked up a new prescription at St Mungo's for her today that she refused to take," she said quietly, sounding a bit bitter. "Surprise, surprise."

Ginny was looking back and forth between them. What the hell were they talking about?

"It's getting worse, Harry," Hermione whispered and then looked at him again. "Ever since dad died. I don't know how much longer I can stand seeing her like this."

Harry stood to embrace her. A moment later they parted and Hermione glanced at Ginny. She appeared to be both confused and angry.

"Harry, can I talk to you in private for a second?" Ginny asked, trying to sound calm.

Harry turned towards her, getting a bit on edge when he registered her tone.

"Yeah, let's go to my bedroom," he suggested and then he pulled her to her feet. "Be right back, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and watched sadly as they left the room hand in hand. She had always dreaded that Harry would some day fall in love with Ginny again. It was easy enough to do – Ginny was beautiful and sexy and widely popular. She was also smart. Nothing like Hermione, of course, but she was intelligent. She knew that she never would be able to compete with the red-head. She sighed, cursing the day she had fallen in love with Harry Potter herself.

* * *

* * *

Harry led Ginny to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Ginny sat down on the bed and glared at him.

"I have two questions," she said. "First, why is she here? And second, why the hell does she have a key?"

Harry titled his head as he looked at her, not understanding why she was upset.

"Hermione has had that key for years," he said, "ever since I moved in to this place."

"Oh, well, that makes it okay then!" Ginny nearly yelled.

Harry held his hand out to stop her from talking.

"I gave her a spare key in case of emergencies, and she's never really used it up until about two months ago. I don't know how much you know about her mum, but Hermione crashes here, when she has visited her mom. It's just down the street from here."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly after a look from Harry.

"Whenever she's been at her mum's, she's mentally exhausted. She splinched herself going home once, so I decided that she should sleep here instead of going back to Diagon Alley."

Ginny narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips together.

"Does that mean that she sleeps here often?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Harry sighed, not really understanding why that would be a problem.

"She's welcome to stay here as often as she needs," he told her firmly. "How often she sleeps here depends on how often she visits her mum."

"Does that mean that she sleeps here _often_?" Ginny repeated with narrowed eyes. "And where does she sleep anyway?"

Harry looked down at the floor and hesitated with his answer.

"She sleeps here about four times a week and... now since Ron moved out, she has her own room," he said slowly.

His reply made Ginny gasp.

"_Excuse me?_" she nearly shouted and shot up from the bed.

"Look, Ginny, Hermione is my best friend and she's been that for almost ten years," he hurried to say. "She means so much to me, but our relationship is platonic. Strictly platonic. She's like a sister to me."

Ginny stood in silence for a minute, simply looking at him. Then she clapped her hands together.

"Okay, just make sure that Hermione knows that at well," she said and headed for the door.

Harry grabbed her arm and she turned around towards him with a sly smile on her face.

"Make sure that Hermione knows what exactly?" he asked and let her arm go.

Ginny tilted her head.

"That she knows your relationship is _strictly _platonic," she answered crisply and patted his cheek.

With that she left the room. Harry stared at the floor as he put her words together. Ginny was implying that Hermione had deeper feelings for him? That was impossible! The two of them were practically brother and sister… Harry shook his head as he went back to the living room. Ginny was sitting alone on the couch watching some movie on the TV he had bought a while back. He couldn't see Hermione, but he assumed that she was in her room. He went straight to the kitchen to get something to eat before he starved to death. He opened the refrigerator door and was frustrated to see that he had forgotten to do the grocery shopping. He went back out to Ginny in the living room.

"I'm going to swing by the store quickly," he told her. "I need to get some food and stuff. Do you want anything?"

Ginny turned her attention to him.

"No, I'm okay. Thanks."

Hermione heard the front door open and close from her own room, and wondered what was going on. Had Ginny perhaps gotten so annoyed that she had taken off? Leaving her room, she was disappointed to find Ginny watching TV. She inhaled deeply and hoped that Ginny wouldn't bite her head off. They hadn't really been on good terms since she had broken up with Ron.

"What are you watching?" Hermione asked and glanced at Ginny. "Something funny?"

Ginny seemed as if she hadn't heard her. In fact, she didn't even look at her.

"Why don't we skip the small talk, okay?" she replied coldly.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise when she heard the cold tone.

"I wasn't making small talk. I just asked you what you were watching," she said.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she changed the channel with the remote, the way Harry had taught her to do.

"Same thing," she replied, still not dignifying the other girl with a glance.

"What the hell is your problem, Ginny?" Hermione yelled, so suddenly that Ginny jumped, as she shot from the couch. "Why are you being so bitchy?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow and then stood from the couch, putting her arms at her sides.

"Okay, do you want to know what my problem is?" she asked, her greens eyes hard. "I don't _like_ that you're spending so much time here."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"You're treating me like dirt because I spend a lot of time here?"

"No, I hate that you're always here, hanging around Harry when I'm cooped up at Hogwarts."

Okay, Hermione could understand that that had to be frustrating. But still...

"I don't get it, Gin. Are you jealous?"

"Ha! _Jealous_? You have got to be kidding me," she shot back. "If there's someone in this room that's jealous, it's you."

Hermione stared at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ginny shrugged as she sat down on the table in front of the couch.

"It's so obvious that you have deeper feeling for Harry than you say you do," she said. "You're jealous of me because you wish you were in my shoes."

Hermione kept her gaze steady on Ginny as she tried not to panic. _She is just trying to get to me, she doesn't actually know for sure how I feel about Harry_, she thought.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," she finally said.

Ginny's lips curved into a small, almost evil looking smile.

"Oh, I think you do," she said. "You're in love with Harry."

"You're insane if you believe that," Hermione replied.

She managed not to wince at the way she sounded. She couldn't be sounding very convincing. _Keep it together,_ she told herself. _If you don't, she'll know. _Ginny let out a little laugh.

"Come on… _Hermione_."

She didn't like the way Ginny said her name. It sent chills down her spine and she even shuddered slightly. The red-head looked at for a moment, seemingly contemplating something.

"Harry doesn't know a thing about this, of course," she continued then. "Why would he? He only has eyes for me, you know. He loves _me_. He'll never think of you as anything more as a friend."

"He loves you?" Hermione repeated, her voice steady. "Has he actually said that?"

Hermione knew that Harry had always said that 'love' was a word that shouldn't be used lightly. And since Ginny had only been his girlfriend for two months or so, Hermione didn't think it was very likely that he had said that to her yet, even if he perhaps did love her. Ginny seamed a little taken back by her question and hesitated for a moment.

"I can feel that he loves me," she finally answered.

Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You're pathetic," she said and got to her feet.

She headed for the kitchen, closely followed by the other woman. Suddenly, Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and jerked her around.

"No, _you're_ pathetic!" Ginny screamed. "You run over here as soon as your mum has had one of her episodes! Why don't you try to do something about it instead of running over here for Harry to comfort you every damn time, you pathetic little twerp!"

Hermione gasped and pulled her arm free from Ginny's grip. She took a couple of stumbling steps back as she stared at the floor in front of her to keep herself from crying.

"How hard can it be to take care of your insane mother?" Ginny continued unmercifully. "Just lock her up in her room for God's sake! Or at St Mungo's where they can lock her away properly! Harry thinks you're just as pathetic as I do, only he puts up with it because he feels sorry for you! He's fed up with you, your insane mother and your entire act!"

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She stared at Ginny as she kept yelling, anger filling up more and more inside of her. Then without further hesitation, Hermione took a step forward and slapped Ginny as hard as she could over her cheek. Ginny let out a horrified gasp. Her hand flew up to her cheek and she stared at Hermione. The older woman's expression was stone cold, except for a couple of tears running down her cheeks.

"Keep talking, Ginny, and you'll wish you never met me," she hissed in a low, threatening voice.

Ginny whimpered and started walking backwards to get away from her attacker. Hermione stepped closer for each step that Ginny backed of. Her eyes flashed with anger, but apart from that she didn't show any other emotions.

"Don't you think that I have done _everything_ in my power to get her better?" Hermione demanded. "Don't you think that after almost a whole _year_ I've totally run out of ideas of what to do? The only person in my life that I can fully rely on is Harry, 'cause he's the only one who's ever really cared about what happens in my life! I am _not_ gonna let you take that away from me!"

Hermione glared at Ginny before brushing past her. She was shaking with anger and felt that her magic was crackling around her. Just as she reached her hand out to open the door to the bathroom, she realized that Ginny was walking toward her in a fast pace. Before Hermione had a chance to turn around, she heard Ginny scream "_Stupefy_!" The spell hit squarely on Hermione's back and she fell headfirst in to the bathroom door before she landed on the floor, motionless.

Ginny felt a moment of triumph, but then she noticed that someone was standing by the front door. She turned her head to see Harry standing there, his mouth agape in shock.

"What the hell, Ginny?" he demanded, his voice so low and full with suppressed anger that Ginny was surprised that he was so composed.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She had no idea what to say.

"You should go back to the Burrow. _Now_. Use the fireplace in my bedroom."

Ginny took a stumbling step towards him, but Harry side-stepped her to get down to the floor where Hermione was still laying out cold.

"Harry, I.."

"NOW, Ginny!" Harry bellowed, finally losing his temper.

Ginny jumped and scampered off to Harry's bedroom to Floo home. She had never ever seen him so upset and it scared her. When Ginny was gone, Harry muttered "_enervate_" under his breath, pointing his wand at Hermione, to wake her up. He saw her blink, looking confused.

"Harry? What... Oh! Ginny stunned me!"

Her eyes were wide with shock. Harry just nodded.

"I know she did. I saw it," he said as he helped her to her feet. "What I don't understand is why. Can you tell me what happened?"

They went to the living room and sat down on the couch. Hermione crossed her legs together and hesitated before she answered.

"She said that I am pathetic because I can't take care of my insane mother," she told him quietly. "That it would be better for me to place her at St Mungo's, ' where they can lock her away properly'."

Harry stared at her.

"She said that?" he whispered.

Hermione nodded gently, staring at her hands.

"And she also said that you're tired of dealing with me, that you think that I'm pathetic too and you only stand it because you feel sorry for me."

Harry's jaw dropped. How could Ginny have dragged him into her ridiculous accusations?

"Hermione, you know that I don't think that," he said.

Hermione met his warm gaze and managed to give him a small smile.

"Yes, I know. But that's when I lost it. I slapped her and then turned to walk away. Before I knew it, everything went black."

Harry closed his eyes. He was so furious with Ginny for saying those things to his best friend. And attacking someone from behind was never, ever okay.

"She also said that you love her," Hermione said quietly.

Harry's eyes flew open. She had said _what_?

"I don't," he said shortly.

Hermione looked up at him, trying her best not to show how happy she was.

"And even if I thought that I might have, I know for sure now that I don't," he continued. "I can't love anyone who talks like that to my best friend. I'm done with her."

Hermione's eyes grew big as his words sank in.

"You're… You're breaking up with her?"

Harry looked at her seriously.

"Hermione, you're the most important person in my life, the one who means the most to me in the entire world," he told her. "Even more than Ron, because he has his entire family in the wizarding world. You and I are a part of that family, in a way, but mostly I feel that we are a part of our own family as well. And what Ginny did tonight... Was more than out of line."

Hermione looked away. She couldn't help feeling guilty, that it was her fault that Harry and Ginny were breaking up. It was obvious that Harry really had liked her. But maybe, just maybe, this meant that something could flourish between the two of them instead.

"Well, I guess this means that I don't have a date to the academy ball next weekend," he said out of context.

When Hermione gave him a blank look, he rolled his eyes and laughed.

"I knew you would have forgotten about the ball the academy is hosting. Huge thing. Makes the Yule Ball we had in our fourth year look like a elementary disco."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"You went to elementary discos?"

Harry snorted and shook his head.

"I just thought it was a good metaphor. Will you go as my date, then?"

Hermione smiled gently, rubbing her head where she had crashed into the door. It stung a little, but she probably wouldn't get a bump.

"Of course, Harry. We wouldn't want the boy-who-lived-to-destroy-he-who-must-not-be-named to come alone, right?" she said and winked as Harry rolled his eyes again. "You know what, Harry? I really think you need a new nickname. That really is a mouthful."

Harry laughed and shook his head in amusement.

"Don't I know it."

* * *

* * *

The next day Harry went to the Burrow to break things off with Ginny. He sighed deeply, truly dreading the upcoming breakup scene, but he summoned his Gryffindor courage and then flooed to the Weasley's home. The minute he stepped out of the fireplace, he was met by Mrs Weasley.

"Harry, dear! You've come to see Ginny, have you? She was most distraught when you had to go to that extra Auror practice last night," she said and she pursed her lips to show just how she felt about extra practice.

Harry raised his eyebrow, but didn't comment. Mrs Weasley would know soon enough what had really happened last night. He dragged his feet up the stairs to her room and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in."

He opened the door, but didn't go inside. When Ginny saw him she sprang to her feet.

"Harry, I'm so sorry!" she wailed and threw herself in his arms.

He pried her arms away from him, firmly holding her wrists.

"Look, I don't know if we should see each other anymore," he said and looked at her.

Ginny's jaw dropped, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at him in disbelief.

"You're breaking up with me?" she asked with a shaky voice. "Why would you do that?"

Harry hesitated before he answered.

"We're just too different," he answered vaugly, avoiding her gaze.

Ginny narrowed her eyes and managed to look quite suspicious even with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Too different?" she repeated. "Come on, Harry. I deserve a better reason then that."

He looked up at her, his eyes hard.

"Do you?" he asked harshly, letting go of her wrists. "I'm not so sure you do. Not after what you did to Hermione."

He regretted his words the second they had come out. He didn't want to drag Hermione into this even more. Ginny looked furious.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" she exclaimed. "This is all about _her?_"

Harry tried to keep his temper under control.

"No, Ginny. This is about you telling Hermione that I am tired of dealing with her. How _dare_ you say something like that to her?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment, taken back by his words. She decided to try a different approach.

"How can you even think that I would say something like that to her?" she whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly. "Don't you know me well enough to know that I could never say anything like that?"

Harry let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, I don't. And that's not even the point. I've known Hermione for a long time and I know that she has never lied to me before," he answered.

Ginny tilted her head and looked at him trough narrowed eyes.

"You would rather believe her than me?"

Harry simply nodded.

"And even if I maybe could forgive you for what you said, I will not forget that you stunned her from behind. That is not how a Gryffindor acts, Ginny. Or a friend, for that matter. You guys are friends, remember?"

Ginny just rolled her eyes.

"It's not like she was hurt," she snapped. "And if you think she's never lied to you, ask her if she's been truthful to you about how she _really_ feels about you. Just ask her. The answer might surprise you."

With that she shut the door in Harry's face, leaving him frozen on the spot for a while. There she went and suggested that Hermione had deeper feelings for him again. Did she know something that he didn't? Hermione was his best friend – wasn't he supposed to know everything about her? Harry narrowed his eyes as he thought of the possibility that Hermione could be in love with him. At first he thought that the whole idea was absurd. But as he thought more about it, he realized that Ginny could actually have a point. Was there another reason behind the fact that Hermione was always on him – hugging him, touching him, tickling him and so fourth? He had always thought that was just the way she was, the way they both were to each other, and it had never bothered him before.

He noticed that Mrs Weasley was too busy in the kitchen to notice him come back downstairs and therefor he hurried to floo home before she would see him leaving without saying goodbye. At home, Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch. Harry stared at her for a moment before he levitated her to her bed.

As he lay in his own bed, trying to sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about what Ginny had said. He glanced at the picture of him and Hermione on his dresser. After a little while he took it in his hands and stared at it for a long time. It was taken sometime during their sixth year at Hogwarts. He had both arms around her and they were both smiling brightly. He had to admit that they looked perfect together. Hermione looked great – even beautiful.

Now that he thought about it, would it really be that bad if Hermione _was_ in love with him? Harry sat up straight when he an emotion flitted through his mind. Of course! Why hadn't he seen it before? Why hadn't he realized how much he really loved Hermione?

That he was in love with her?


	2. The ball

When Harry had said that there was a big ball for everyone at the Auror academy, he had forgotten to mention that he was one of the organizers for the social gathering of the year. That meant that Hermione had been barely seen him during the week after his and Ginny's breakup. They had planned on getting some dinner before they made their entrance at the ball, but Harry had told her yesterday that they would have to meet there instead. Now, thirty minutes before the party was set to start, she had only seen him for two ten minutes periods during the whole week. He had apparently showered and changed his clothes while she had been out getting her hair done.

"Don't worry, Hermione," he had written to her in a note. "Once the party starts I'll be able to give you my full attention."

Full attention. She liked the sound of that.

Hermione straightened out a couple of wrinkled lines on her new dress before looking into the mirror. She had never devoted so much time on her looks before – she had spent a total of four hours and almost fifty galleons at the beauty salon in Diagon Alley. They had fixed her hair, nails and makeup, making her look elegant and beautiful. Before that, she had taken a long bath and shaved her legs. Two days ago she had gone out to muggle London to buy the dress she would be wearing – the black and white silk dress was flowing and light. It was a very good dress to dancing in, because of the way it would flutter around her, but she had spent more money on this one single piece of clothing than she did in a year. But after all this, she had to admit that she didn't quite look like herself.

Her brown and bushy hair had been curled and softly pulled back. They had left two curls hang free, framing her face perfectly. Usually she didn't wear more makeup than mascara, but tonight she had decided to give the witch in charge of makeup free reign over her face. She had painted a thin line of eyeliner on her eyelids, just where her lashes started, then topped it off with a gold colored eyeshadow and red-brownish lip gloss that made her lips look very kissable indeed. Her look was still rather discreet, but anyone who knew her would be taken by surprise. Her dress, if nothing else, would certainly be an eyeopener. The way the bodice clung to her body gave little left for imagination. She sincerely hoped that Harry would think that she looked like a worthy date for the boy-who-lived.

Hermione glanced at the clock on her wall and was surprised to see that it was already eight o'clock. It was time to apparate to the academy. She took a deep breath and then spun on the spot. As she arrived, people were appearing out of thin air all around her, but she didn't pay attention to any of them. She wanted to find Harry.

"Hermione!"

Harry was standing right inside the entrance and he waved at her, a huge smile on his face. She smiled back at him, and hurried to reach him.

"You look amazing," Harry said, his eyes raking over her entire body.

Hermione blushed under his intense stare.

"Thank you," she said. "You look pretty smashing yourself."

And he did. Harry was always handsome, but to see him in a dressrobes was something she would never tire off. Of course his hair was as messy as ever, but now it was done messy on purpose – she could see that he had some kind of gel in his hair. He was not clean shaved, but she liked the little rugged look he had now. It made him look downright sexy, especially with the black robes he was wearing.

"Shall we go in?" he wondered and offered her his arm.

"Yes, we shall," she answered and took his arm as she gave him a playful smile.

They filed in line with the other arriving couples. The entrance hall was a big square room and its only function was to house coats, if anyone arrived wearing one. All the way in there was a big archway and right on the other side of it stood a wizard with a large, golden pole. Every time a new couple came through the archway and close enough to the pole, their names would appear on it and the wizard holding the pole announced their names to the hall with a booming voice. There were quite a few couples in front of them, so Hermione racked her brain for something to say to Harry. It was weird. She had never had any trouble talking to him before. Why was so nervous?

"Mr Ernie MacMillan and Miss Hannah Abbott!"

Hermione's ears perked up.

"Oooh, I heard they just got engaged!" she whispered to Harry as she stood on her toes to try to see over the people in front of her.

Harry chuckled at her.

"Why so interested? You haven't had any contact with either one of them since graduation."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That may be true, but they are the first ones who will be getting married of the people in our year."

Harry gave her a odd look, which made Hermione frown. What had she missed?

"I know you don't read the society section in the Daily Prophet, Hermione, but surely you must have heard..."

Hermione tilted her head as she waited for him to continue, but he was staring at the front of the line.

"Heard what, Harry?"

And the next second she understood why Harry wasn't bothering to answer.

"Mr Draco Malfoy and Mrs Astoria Malfoy!"

Hermione's head snapped towards the announcer, wondering if she had heard him correctly. But no, she clearly saw the distinctive pale, white blond hair, so it was no question that it was Malfoy. But Astoria... Who was this Astoria?

"She is the younger sister of Daphne Greengrass," Harry said, sensing the question in her mind. "She was two years under us."

"Oh," was all Hermione said in answer to this statement.

They waited in silence for their turn to be announced. Hermione was starting to feel that the whole announcing thing was quite silly. It finally became their turn.

"Lord Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger!"

And just like that, the entire Grand Hall of the academy went silent for a moment before the whole crowd burst out in a loud cheer. Hermione glanced at Harry. He was holding his head up high, but his cheeks had a gotten a bit red. _How tired he must be of standing in the spotlight like this_, she thought in sympathy. They walked down the stairs, their arms still linked. By the time they were down, the attention of the crowd was off them. Harry sighed in relief.

"Well, that was fun," he muttered under his breath.

"I know, _Lord _Potter, that must have been awful for you," Hermione said, half-teasing, half-serious.

She hadn't known that Harry had the title of Lord, but then again, seeing as he was the last of the Potter family, she shouldn't have been so surprised. The Potter's were one of the oldest wizarding families, after all.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't told you about that," he said and averted his gaze from her. "Sorry."

Hermione grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

"For heaven's sake, Harry, why are you apologizing about something like that?" she demanded, her tone reprimanding. "It's not like I personally care if you are a Lord. To me you'll always be Harry. Just Harry."

She let go of his arm and gave him a fond smile. Harry was grinning at her sheepishly. He led her to a VIP area, for Aurors in training and their dates only, where they found that they had seats next to each other. Harry held out the chair for her and she sat down.

"Do you want me to get you some punch?" he wondered.

"Yes, please."

Harry turned to leave, then halted and asked over his shoulder;

"Er, adult punch or... not adult punch?"

Hermione laughed, loving the way he put it.

"Adult punch, please," she answered, flashing him a smile as she winked at him.

She watched him leave and then she looked around the Hall. It was beautifully decorated. It looked much like Great Hall at Hogwarts, but where Hogwarts looked ancient, the Grand Hall at the Auror Academy was modern and elegant. The floor and walls were made out of pure, white marble. From the ceiling hung banners in different shades of blue and three huge gold chandeliers with hundreds of candles. The walls had portraits of former Head Aurors, all smiling down on them but still looking dignified and important. And there were flowers everywhere, especially placed around the room for the ball.

"Hi there," Hermione suddenly heard a voice behind her.

Hermione's head spun around to see who had talked to her. Her eyes locked with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. She had never met or seen this man before, but he seemed to be her age. Had he been home schooled?

"You must be Hermione," the man continued.

Hermione blinked in surprise at him knowing her name. She nodded slowly, feeling a bit stupid that she had no idea who he was.

"My name is Joshua," he continued, sitting down on Harry's chair and held out his hand.

He had a curious accent, she now noticed. Not anything she was used to.

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione finally said and shook his hand. "Forgive me, but how do you know who I am when I have no idea who you are?"

Joshua gave her a small smile.

"I'm Potter's partner," he explained, which really should have been enough, but he continued. "He talks about you all the time and there's a picture of the two of you in his locker. I recognized you from it."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. Harry had a picture of her (and him) in his locker?

"Hasn't he ever mentioned me?" Joshua wondered, trying to sound insulted.

Hermione smirked at his tone. As a matter of fact, Harry spoke a lot about his partner. She just hadn't made the connection until now.

"Yes, he has mentioned you once or twice," she told him. "Mostly he tells me about how you always think that you are better than everyone else and that you don't need to be teamed up with 'bloody Harry Potter'."

Joshua looked at her through narrowed eyes and then smirked a bit.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're actually being totally honest with me?"

"Because she is," came Harry's voice from behind Hermione. "You know that you are the biggest whiner in the class, Josh."

He put a hand on her shoulder as he put her glass of punch on the table and gave Joshua a rather twisted smile. His partner just chuckled and punched him lightly in the stomach.

"I must ask you, Joshua, where are you from?" Hermione wondered. "I can't place your accent."

Joshua smiled at her.

"Well, I was born in South Africa, but I've spent most of my life in other countries – my childhood years in New Zealand, then I went to boarding school in Los Angeles to learn magic and then I spent two years hiking in India. So my English is quite... different, I suppose... Anyway, Hermione, it was nice to finally meet you," Joshua said. "I'm gonna go grab something to drink and try to locate my date."

Harry sat down next to Hermione and they toasted before taking large sips of the "adult" punch. Hermione winced slightly as she felt the alcohol burn her throat. She really wasn't used to drinking – she never really had the time to get drunk with her friends.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Hermione," Harry suddenly said, looking her in the eye. "I especially like what you've done to your hair."

Hermione blushed, not being used to getting compliments from Harry, but kept her gaze on him.

"Thank you. I figured if anyone had a chance of defeating my bushy hair, it would be Sassy Witch in Diagon Alley. It cost me a fortune. But if you like it, it is worth every sickle."

"Dare I ask how much it cost?" Harry wondered as he finished his first glass of punch.

Hermione laughed, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"The whole thing cost about fifty galleons," she answered and giggled when Harry mock-gasped in horror. "But it was worth it, right?"

Harry leaned closer to her and gently touched one of her locks.

"Totally worth it."

Hermione blushed again under the smoldering look he was giving her. Suddenly, Harry laughed softly.

"Do you know how beautiful you are when you blush?" he said as he gently caressed her cheek.

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment. Was he... _flirting_ with her? The band switched to a slow ballad and Harry asked her if she wanted to dance. Hermione just stared at him for a moment. They had never danced together before. She felt like asking him what was going on, but he looked so serious that she couldn't bring herself to ruin the moment by asking a question like that. His eyes were so intense, as if he was trying to figure out something really important about her. She couldn't remember that he had ever looked at her like that. Finally she nodded slowly in answer to his question.

After taking her hand, Harry led her out to the dance floor. He put his arms around her in standard waltz style, but the way they moved was nothing like a waltz. They just kind of swayed around in circle. At first she wasn't sure where to keep her gaze, but then she finally looked up at Harry. His eyes were already on her and he gave her a little smile when their eyes met. Hermione's heart fluttered and she smiled back at him. Then she leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder. Harry tightened his grip around her while dropping his head so that his cheek rested against the top of her head. Hermione was struggling to understand what had brought this on. When the song came to an end, Harry only dropped one of his arms. The other was still securely around her waist.

"Thank you for the dance," he said and gave her a small smile.

Hermione's smile, in return, was quite shy.

"Thank you, yourself."

The next moment, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Potter, dude, I want to introduce you to my date for the evening," Joshua said. "This is Ginny."

Harry felt his stomach plummet. Standing next to Joshua was none other than his ex-girlfriend. He cursed himself, suddenly wishing that he had been more open about his private life to his partner. Next to him, Hermione gasped and staggered. Harry quickly steadied her by tightening the grip he had around her.

"Hi, guys," Ginny said slowly, avoiding to look directly at either of them. "I'm going to get a glass of punch."

Joshua stared after her, looking dumb-founded. Poor guy. He had no idea what the hell just has happened.

"Josh... I see you've met my ex."

Harry saw how understanding came to his partner. He had told Joshua some of the details of what had happened last week to end his relationship with his girlfriend.

"Great. That's just great. What is it with me and picking the wrong girls?"

He shook his head and then left to go... only Merlin knows where. Harry put his other arm around Hermione so that he could look her and comfort her at the same time.

"Forget that she's here. She's not important," Harry said quietly and he brushed a lock away from her face.

Hermione looked up at him, doubt evident in her eyes. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. Harry then asked her is she wanted to dance once again. Hermione was not taken by surprise this time.

This time, she noticed, there was something very different in the way he was holding her. It felt more intimate, almost like he really wanted her in his arms… A hopeful smile slowly crept over her face. She pulled back slightly so she could look at him. He still had a serious look in his eyes, but they glowed with warmth as he watched her.

"Hermione, I need to...," Harry started, but was cut of by none other than Ronald Weasley.

"Hey, guys! 'Sup?"

Harry and Hermione jumped apart.

"Ronald! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Hermione admonished him, having gotten more annoyed than startled at the rude interruption.

"Sorry," Ron said cheerfully, not meaning it at all, as he downed the glass of firewhiskey he was currently drinking. "Just thought I'd say 'ello. Haven't heard much from eithe' of you lately."

It occurred then to Hermione that Ron was drunk. Very drunk. Which meant that he would get verbally angry soon. The ball had just started a little over an hour ago! How could he already so intoxicated? She looked at Harry – he seemed not to have thought about this yet.

"But you seem to be doin' just fine without me," he stated. "Apparently you have my old room now, 'Mione. Spending a loooot of time there now."

Harry was finally catching on. He grabbed a hold of Ron and then turned to Hermione.

"I'll be right back," he said irritably as he started dragging Ron with him towards the stairs that would lead them out. "I'm taking him home."

Hermione nodded and stood rooted on the spot until she couldn't see them anymore. Now she had some time to think about Harry's strange behavior. True that she wasn't all that experienced when it came to dating, but she really believed that Harry was flirting with her. And what was it he was going to tell her right before Ron had showed up?

As the thoughts swirled around in her mind, she had a two more glasses of punch and she met some of her old classmates. Parvati was there with Roger Davies – they had kept stumbling in to each other at Flourish and Blotts and after the sixth time, Roger had finally asked her out. Lavender was there with some rich guy she had met in Paris – he had apparated to London specifically for the ball. Hermione also spotted Dean and Seamus, but she didn't stop to speak with them. After three glasses of punch she really had to go to the bathroom.

When she came back, she spotted the famous messy, male Potter hair, but she stopped short when she noticed who Harry was speaking to. The anguish on Ginny's face made Hermione think that she seemed to be trying to convince him to forgive her. Harry had his head bowed, as if he was about to agree to do it. And then suddenly, Ginny threw her arms around him and then, out of the blue, she kissed him. Not just a little peck on his lips, but a real kiss. Her tongue was in his mouth. Hermione saw Harry stumble in surprise, but he didn't move or draw back from the girl. Their lips were still locked when Hermione turned around and fled up the stairs.

.

_Oh my God, that did not just happen_, she told herself. But she knew that she had indeed just seen that. _Why didn't he just step back from her? Why? It just felt like he was going to tell me that he feels the same way that I feel about him. Oh God, I can't handle this._

She looked around the entrance hall and saw that the door to a storage room was open and if her eyes weren't deceiving her, there was a case of firewhiskey in there. She grabbed a bottle, unscrewed it and took a long sip. She winced when she felt the bitter liquid burn her throat, but she kept drinking. One sip, two sips, three sips, four sips... Soon she stopped counting.

Hermione had no idea how long she had been sitting on the bench in the entrance hall before Harry found her. All she knew was that she was drunk and she didn't like the feeling. The whole room seemed to be rotating and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Hermione?" she suddenly heard Harry say.

It sounded like he was very far away.

"What have you done to yourself?"

Hermione looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes. She just shrugged and lifted the bottle of firewhiskey to answer his question.

"You've been drinking firewhiskey directly from the bottle?" he demanded, sounding more astonished than reprimanding.

Hermione shrugged again. Harry narrowed his eyes as he watched her. He had never seen her like this. It was easy for him to take care of a Hermione that was upset over her mother, but a drunken Hermione was completely new and different. For a long time he just watched her, unable to think of anything smart to do. But when she raised the bottle to her mouth again, Harry snapped it out of her hand.

"Hey!" Hermione yelled when some of the firewhiskey splashed over her.

Harry took a swig of the the liquid to calm his nerves before he banished the bottle.

"What did you do that for?" she slurred and glared at him.

"'Cause you've clearly had enough," he answered slowly.

Hermione exhaled sharply. What right did he have to tell her what to do or not?

"So what?" she spat, slurring somewhat. "It helps me forget."

Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Helps you forget what?" he wondered and kneeled down in front of her.

"You," Hermione said, pointing her index finger at him as to accuse him of something.

Harry stared at her, not sure what she meant by that. He took a firm grip around both of her arms and pulled her to her feet. She refused to stand on her own, so Harry decided to carry her. At the same moment he spotted Joshua coming back in after getting some air and called him over.

"I'm going to take her home," Harry told him. "Hermione and I have some unfinished issues to discuss. If you need a place to crash you know how to get in."

Joshua just nodded and then Harry carried Hermione outside so that he could apparate back to his apartment. He put her down gently on his bed and sat down next to her. She tried to push him off, but the alcohol had clearly made her weaker and in less control of her actions. Harry took a firm grip around her wrists and she did her best to get free.

"Come on, Hermione, cut it out now," he said.

But Hermione kept on struggling.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione!" he yelled. "Can you please just lie still and let me talk to you?"

She dropped her hands, but didn't look at him.

"Why do you want to forget me?" Harry demanded. "What have I done?"

"You _kissed_ her," Hermione slurred, suddenly too upset to be able to keep it in any longer. "You kissed her back. I can't believe you kissed her back. Why didn't you just walk away? You kissed her _back_…"

Harry narrowed his eyes as he listened to her babble. She had decided to get drunk because Ginny suddenly had jumped him? He couldn't help smiling. Ginny had been right about Hermione feelings for him. She had to be. Why else would she be so upset over a kiss? She obviously hadn't bothered to stay and see how it had ended – with Harry pushing her away. Hermione suddenly burst into quiet tears and she threw and arm over her face to hide from him.

"Hermione, why does it matter to you that I kissed her?" Harry asked her softly, prying her arm away from her beautiful face. "I know it was wrong of her and I pushed her away, but why are _you_ so upset about it?"

He wanted to hear her say it. It didn't matter if Ginny had said it. He wanted to hear the words come from her own mouth. Hermione sniffled and Harry gently rubbed her tears away with his thumb.

"You would know if you weren't so blind," Hermione answered in a whisper, her voice breaking. "You would see."

Harry took her hand in his.

"See what?"

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her.

"That I'm in love with you."

Harry wanted to kiss her right there and then.

"Hermione, look at me," he said instead, his voice pleading. "Please look at me."

Hermione turned her head and their eyes met.

"Do you want to know something?" he said now that he had her full attention. "I'm in love you too."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief.

"If you're joking about this…," she started.

Harry cut her of by giving her a soft kiss on her lips. Hermione automatically closed her eyes, but before she had time to do anything else, Harry pulled back.

"I'm not joking. I love you, Hermione."

He leaned forward and kissed her again. This time she got a chance to kiss him back. She had dreamed about kissing him for so long, but she never knew that it would feel like this. His lips were soft and warm and just wonderful. When he deepened the kiss, when their tongues met in a passionate dance, Hermione had never felt so instantly aroused. She groaned in disappointment when Harry pulled back.

"Do you want me to get a sobering potion?" Harry wondered, sounding a little out of breath.

"No, I think I need to get a reminder of why drinking is bad for you," she said and grimaced, already dreading the morning.

Harry just smiled and told her that he would be right back. He had to do a few things before he joined her to sleep. Hermione stared up at the ceiling above her some time. She could barley believe what had just happened. Harry had told her that he loved her. How long had she longed to hear him say those words? Hermione didn't know at the moment - counting when you were this pissed was not easy. But now it had finally come true. It felt like she was in her own fairytale.

Before she fell asleep she peeled the dress of and rummaged through Harry's closet for a t-shirt and sweatpants. Soon after that she fell asleep. She didn't notice when Harry placed a blanket over her or when he lay down beside her. He gently kissed her cheek, smiling when he saw that she was wearing his shirt and then he also fell asleep.

* * *

* * *

Hermione blinked when the bright morning light streamed through the window. As she got used to the light she noticed that someone was watching her. She focused on the person beside her and looked straight into Harry's beautiful green eyes.

"Hi," she whispered and then yawned.

"Good morning," he whispered back, giving her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione smiled at him sheepishly.

"Well, apart from the terrible headache I have, I've never felt better in my entire life. Because last night really happened, didn't it?"

Harry let out a quick laugh and then answered her question by giving her a searing kiss. It left them both quite breathless.

"Yes, it really did," he finally managed to get out after a while. "And I'm glad to hear that you've never felt better, because that's exactly how I feel as well."

He traced his finger along her jawline.

"I've been lying here for about forty-five minutes just watching you sleep," he continued. "You look very peaceful and you barely make a sound. I never knew that. It was actually a bit scary before I found out."

"Scary? Why?" Hermione wondered, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, basically because I thought that you were dead."

Hermione laughed softly and stroked his cheek gently with a finger.

"Dead? No, no. Not even close. I am very much alive."

Harry smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Forty-five minutes, huh?" Hermione said next. "That must have been entertaining."

Harry shrugged as his finger crossed over her lips.

"Not really, but you are so beautiful that I didn't even notice how long I was staring at you."

Hermione blushed and looked away from him.

"Hey…," Harry started.

Hermione looked up at him. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes, loving the way his lips covered her own perfectly.

"You don't regret any of this, do you?" he asked her, his lips still hovering above her own.

Hermione eyes flew open and she almost looked shocked.

"Are you kidding? Harry, I've longed for this to happen for years!" she replied, sounding quite frantic. "I don't regret this for anything in the world. I love you."

Harry smiled as she said the last part.

"I love you too," he said and gave her a quick kiss before drawing himself a bit further back from her. "And I'm sorry that I didn't realize that until Ginny told me how you felt about me. Otherwise, I might not have known."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and she sat up.

"What?"

Harry sat up as well and tilted his head.

"Ginny told me, or she was more hinting, that you had deeper feelings for me," he explained. "First that made me a bit… scared actually, but the more I thought of it, the more I realized how much I wanted Ginny to be right. Understand?"

Hermine nodded numbly.

"I'm really glad she told me, even though I'm sure she wanted it to have a negative effect on me and on our friendship," Harry said and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Hermione, when you said that you loved me yesterday, that you were _in _love with me… I've never been so happy in my entire life."

Hermione smiled and leaned her head against his bare chest. He cupped her cheeks and gave her another gentle, lingering kiss.

"Are you hungry?" he wondered. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Hermione nodded as she pulled the blanket of her.

"I'm starving actually," she answered. "I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

Harry raised an eyebrow and got out of bed.

"Well, then it's not so surprising that you got so drunk yesterday," he said. "If you ever plan to drink again, you should at least eat something first."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'll be sure to do that, but I doubt I'll be drinking much in the future," she said.

Harry put a pair of jeans on and grabbed a t-shirt from his closet.

"Do you have to put that on?" Hermione asked quietly.

Harry turned around slowly with the shirt in his hand and eyed her suspiciously.

"What's wrong with this t-shirt?" he wondered as he looked at it. "As a matter of fact, didn't you give me this t-shirt?"

Hermione shrugged one of her shoulders.

"Nothing is wrong with the t-shirt and yes, I got it for you," she answered. "I'm just wondering why you have to put a t-shirt on at all."

Harry laughed and threw the shirt back into the closet.

"Well, when you put it like that…," he said as she got up from the bed. "But doesn't that mean that you have way too much on yourself?"

Hermione blushed crimson and Harry couldn't help snicker a little. He pulled her into his arms and held her close for a moment.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Come on, let's go to the kitchen. Joshua must be up by now."

"Joshua slept here? Where?"

"In your old room," Harry answered.

Hermione looked at him, bewildered.

"What you do mean?" she wondered. "My _old_ room? I'm not aloud to sleep in there anymore?"

Harry shook his head and she tilted her head as she waited for him to explain.

"Hermione, if you are going to sleep here from now on, you have to sleep in my room. Next to me," he answered.

Hermione gave him a big smile.

"I can live with that," she said with a laugh.

They went to the kitchen, and true enough, Joshua already was sitting by the table. He was eating a bowl of cereal without any milk and drinking a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Morning," he said as they sat down at the table. "I was wondering when you two were gonna get up. How are you doing, Hermione?"

She sighed, but still had a smile on her face.

"Like I told Harry, I have a terrible headache," she answered. "But I've never been so happy before, and that's thanks to him."

Harry took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze.

"So wait, I want to get this straight. You are best friends and you currently semi-live together, right?" Joshua asked and pointed at Hermione.

Both Harry and Hermione nodded.

"And now you're a couple, right?"

Neither one of them answered at first. Harry locked eyes with Hermione, a serious expression on his face. Hermione just kept smiling at him and that confirmed his own thoughts.

"Yes, we are," he said. "Hermione is my girlfriend."

He would have thought it impossible, but Hermione's smile grew even bigger.

"Well, that's great!" Joshua exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's what we think, right, Hermione?" Harry wondered.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him to answer his question.

"I'm not gonna let you go, Harry. I hope you understand that you'll be with me until the day I die."

Harry grinned at her.

"I can live with that," he answered and kissed her again.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Happy new couple

AN: Sorry it's been a while – school is quite crazy, but I wanted to make sure to get a new chapter published before it gets even crazier!

* * *

Joshua was one of the few people who actually seemed to be excited for Harry and Hermione. It wasn't as if they went around shouting at the top of their lungs that they were a couple and in love, but since it concerned Harry Potter, the happy couple only had to show themselves hand-in-hand in Diagon Alley once before the entire British Wizarding society knew that the boy-who-lived had a new girlfriend – and this girl was none other than Hermione Granger! People were simply astonished, because most everybody had heard about the romantic way Harry had gotten Ginny back and that had been just a few months ago. How was it possible that he already had a new girlfriend? And what had happened to end his old relationship?

The rumors that were flying around were simply ridiculous. Some said that Hermione had given Harry a love potion, others said that Harry had just been using Ginny until Hermione had confessed her love for him and others said Hermione was an evil bitch that had been done everything in her power to come between Harry and Ginny. Even the press took an interest in the juicy rumors and printed some of these dumb-ass accusations.

Harry and Hermione had the courtesy to visit the Burrow on the same day that Joshua had been so ecstatic about their new relationship. Ginny would return to Hogwarts for her last term on Monday, so she would still be there as well. Most of the Weasley's present were not pleased about their news.

_~* Flashback *~_

_Harry and Hermione waited nervously outside the Weasley's front door. They waited patiently with their backs straight and their hands clasped together. It was Molly that answered the door._

"_Harry, Hermione! How lovely to see you! What brings the two of you..."_

_This was the moment where Molly saw that they were holding hands. She stopped mid sentence and was now staring at their hands with her mouth hanging open. _

"_Er, may we come in, Mrs Weasley?" Harry asked politely and when she didn't answer, he simply walked right past her with Hermione right behind him. _

_They had managed to come right during lunch, so everyone was seated around the big table in the kitchen. Arthur was there, along with Ron, Ginny, George and Percy (Charlie was back in Romania and Bill was on a vacation in France, visiting Fleur's family). As soon as Ginny saw them, she got up from the chair is if to leave, but Harry immediately stopped her._

"_Sit down, Ginny," he ordered her in a quiet hiss, getting quite a few surprised looks from the others around the table. _

"_Don't talk to her life that," Ron snapped at him, looking annoyed and then his eyes narrowed at the sight of them holding hands. "What the hell is the meaning of this?" _

_Harry found it pointless to beat around the bush, so he went straight to the point. Behind him he heard Molly _

"_Hermione and I are together," he said matter-of-factly._

_Dead silence. Then–_

"_WHAT?!" Ron bellowed as he shot to his feet. "Is this some kind of joke? How can you be together with Hermione when you're still together with my sister?" _

_Harry stared at Ron in disbelief before his gaze shifted to Ginny. She had the decency to look ashamed._

"_You didn't tell them that we broke up?" he demanded._

She gave a jerkish shake of her head in reply. Harry suddenly looked very tired.

_  
"Right. Well, Ginny and I broke up last weekend – Hermione and I are together now." _

_Hermione wanted to whack him over the head for being so blunt, but she was too busy being ready for some kind of attack from the youngest Weasley's. _

"_Why on earth would you break up with my Ginny just like that?" Molly wondered, walking past them to put her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "You were head over heels about her!" _

"_I was. Then when I left to get some groceries, she felt the need to tell Hermione how pathetic she is because she can't take care of her insane mother and that it would be better for her to place Mrs Granger at St Mungo's, where they can lock her away properly." _

_Molly, along with Arthur and George, gasped in shock._

"_Ginny! You didn't!" Molly exclaimed, wanting to hear the truth from her baby girl. _

_But Ginny said nothing. _

"_There's more," Harry said. "Ginny felt the need to bring me into the picture and added that I thought Hermione was pathetic as well, that I was tired of dealing with her and that I only stand it out of pity." _

"_I got so angry that I slapped her," Hermione said quietly, not daring to look anyone in the eye._

"_You WHAT?!" Ron cried in outrage and Harry noticed that Hermione winced. "Ginny, how come you haven't said anything? We could have gotten back at her together!" _

"_Really, Ronald, is that what you want out of all this? Revenge?" Hermione demanded, her eyes finally meeting his. "You want revenge on me because I broke up with you?" _

_Ron's eyes blazed with anger, but he didn't say anything. Harry saw that all the Weasley's except Ginny (who was still staring down on her hands) were looking at Hermione with contempt. Well, that was about to change. _

"_Yes, yes, Hermione did slap Ginny, something she has expressed a deep remorse for," Harry said. "However, the reason why Ginny hasn't told you anything is because she knows that she will come off as she bad guy."_

"_Yeah, right!" Ron sneered. "What on earth could have Ginny done to make herself the bad guy in all of this?" _

"_She stunned Hermione. From behind." _

_Dead silence once again. Then–_

"_Bollocks! How would you even know? You weren't there! It's just something Hermione told you to make herself look better..."_

"_Ron, shut the fuck up or I'll stun you myself – see how much you like it," George suddenly said, earning himself quite a few shocked looks. _

"_Thank you, George," Harry said and then continued briskly. "I was back in time to see that with my own eyes. And if that isn't proof enough, ask your daughter. This is the reason I broke up with her, and the reason why she hasn't said anything." _

_All eyes turned towards the youngest Weasley member. She was crying, and for a moment Harry thought she was going to try to tell them that he was lying. _

"_It's true," she whispered and then she fled to her room._

_~* End flashback *~_

Harry and Hermione had left the Burrow shortly after. Molly and Arthur seemed absolutely horrified at Ginny's behavior, but it was clear that Molly did not approve of the new couple. Ron had left soon after Ginny, saying that he never wanted to see either of them ever again, while Percy just kind of shrugged and said something about needing to start working again. George gave them a clap on the shoulder and a bright smile, wishing them both luck, while Arthur, as he escorted them to the door, said that everything would eventually blow over. In the mean time, they had each other.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Harry was bombarded with letters from Ginny, all of them conveying how sorry she was, that they were meant to be (Harry was NOT supposed to spend the rest of his life with Hermione Granger of all people!) and that Hermione was an evil cow that Hermione had purposely set her up. Harry answered Ginny, at first. He was kindly answering her question – for some reason he felt like he owed her that – and then told her to stop trying to accuse Hermione for something that clearly had been Ginny's fault. When Ginny refused to respect Harry's wishes, by continuing to write lots of crap about Hermione, Harry sent off one final letter;

"_This is the last time I'm going to write to you and it's simply to tell you that I'm not going to answer any more of your letters and I will burn whatever letters you send to me."_

Both Harry and Hermione got letters from other people as well – some of them were kind and approving. They received well wishes from most Hogwarts Professors, (and got two exceptionally heartfelt letters from Minerva McGonagall and Hagrid), Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and many Hufflepuffs. Hermione got quite a shock when she received a letter from Professor Snape;

"_Miss Granger, I have been following your research in the uses of moonstone in potions not attended to achieve emotional balance with keen interest and I truly hope you will not let the slight difficulties in your personal life get in the way of your work – as you know, it will pass. Should you ever need to discuss your ideas, you are always welcome to write me." _

Others had taken the gossip to heart and those letters were neither nice nor approving. Lavender Brown sent Hermione a Howler, where she clearly only wanted to say that "Won-Won" had been better off staying with her, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan sent a joint letter informing them that what they had done to Ginny and Ron was too low to ever be okay, even for the boy-who-lived. And then there were countless of other letters, from both sides, that have come from acquaintances and strangers. In the midst of all this was a young couple who was wondering why the entire Wizarding society of Britain seemingly cared so much about their relationship.

* * *

Hermione and Harry were enjoying a quiet afternoon together, on the day that would change their lives in a way that neither of them ever could have foreseen. Two months had passed since the morning after the ball, and during that time the outside world has lost interest in the happy couple. They shared every moment they could together, but seeing as Harry had Auror training and Hermione was engulfed in her research, they only had a few hours to spend together at night, and one happy hour each morning where they ate breakfast together. They had been intimate with each other, but since Hermione was a virgin, they took it slowly and had not yet had sex. Harry didn't mind waiting – they had their entire life to tumble around in the sack and making sweet love. But two months of absolute happiness and hopes of sharing a lifetime together were shattered in less than five minutes. It started with a simple ringing of the bell to Harry's front door.

"Do you have to get it?" Hermione whined in a very non-Hermione like way, not wanting to leave his embrace.

Harry just chuckled and kissed her nose.

"It might be important," he said as he shrugged.

She heard by the tone of his voice that he also was annoyed with the interruption. Satisfied with that, she lifted her head from his chest and pecked his cheek. Harry smiled and then captured her lips in a soft kiss. Then he heaved himself of the couch in the living room and went to open the door. Hermione smiled as she thought of the evening they had planned. They were going to cook dinner together, eat outside on the balcony and then go out in muggle London to go to the movies. She heard him open the door and then muffled talking. When she heard that Harry was getting annoyed she thought it best to investigate. She slowly left the couch and then peeked out into the hall. Her mouth dropped.

What was Ginny doing here? Hadn't Harry made it very clear to her not to come by unannounced like this anymore? Besides, it was a Thursday! Why had she left Hogwarts in the middle of a school-week? Hermione hurried out to the hall to stand next to her boyfriend.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded and crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive way.

"I'm here to talk to Harry," Ginny answered defiantly.

She kept her eyes firmly glued on Harry, as if Hermione didn't exist.

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Hermione," Harry told her, his tone weary.

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. The loyalty he was showing her didn't go unnoticed by her. But Ginny shook her head, still not looking at her rival.

"No, I can't. This doesn't concern her."

Harry snorted softly, making Ginny flinch slightly.

"If it concerns me, it concerns her. She is my girlfriend after all."

Ginny's eyes flickered over to the other girl for first time since she got there.

"Harry, trust me, I'm anything but thrilled to be here. I'm here because I have something to tell you and Hermione has nothing to do with it. It's no one's business but ours."

Hermione watched her closely while she spoke. Ginny seemed to be scared about something, she could see it in the younger woman's eyes. Though she appreciated Harry's words, Hermione knew that the stubborn Ginny Weasley would never agree to speak to Harry in her presence – and she wouldn't leave until she had. All she wanted right now was for Ginny to leave so they could return to their cozy evening. This was, after all, the only night she had off for the next two weeks.

"Harry, it's okay," Hermione said softly, touching his arm gently. "I'll wait in your bedroom."

She met Ginny's gaze for a second.

"With the door closed," she added pointedly to Harry's ex-girlfriend and her ex-best friend.

Harry kissed her cheek and then looked at her for a long time. She knew that he was silently asking her if she was sure. She blinked once in reply and smiled before she went down the hall to his bedroom.

"That was sweet of her," Ginny said softly as she came further into the house.

Harry could barely hide his surprise. She sounded so sincere, which was weird since all she had done for the past months was to say bad things about Hermione. He led her to the living room. They sat down on the couch where Hermione and Harry had shared some cozy time just five minutes prior. For a long time, they just stared at each other.

"Ginny, why are you here?" he asked, urging her to start speaking.

Ginny's eyes fell to her hands. She took a deep breath before she said something so quietly that he didn't hear a word of it.

"Sorry? Ginny, speak up. I can't hear you if you're going to whisper like that."

She looked up at him and he was horrified to see that she had tears in her eyes. A sense of dread filled him. He was used to her screaming, used to her anger. If she was crying, he knew it wasn't good.

"Harry, I'm… pregnant."

* * *

AN: So how much do you hate me right now? Both a cliffhanger and a short chapter – I'm so sorry! I promise not to wait too long before I update again, but in the meantime, feel free to review! I love to hear what you think.


	4. Hell breaks loose

"Harry, I'm… pregnant."

The house grew deadly silent. The only thing that was heard was the soft clicking of the clock on the kitchen wall. Harry stared in open shock at the woman in front of him.

"You're… And I'm…"

He couldn't even speak properly. He could barely make sense of his thoughts. This had to be a mistake. This had to be some kind of weird way of trying to get him back. His dropped jaw was locked in a tight hold as he tried to make sense of the situation. The only logic in this was that it _had_ to be a ploy to get him to come back to her. But one look at Ginny was all he needed to be sure that that wasn't the case. She looked scared and confused and Harry instinctively knew that she didn't want to be in this situation anymore then he did.

"Yes," she said softly, brushing away a tear from under her eye. "I got it confirmed yesterday, late in the afternoon by Madame Pomfrey. I'm nine weeks pregnant."

Nine weeks… That meant that the baby had been conceived the week before the incident that made Harry ditch her. He raked his brain for the times he had been intimate with her the days before their breakup. They had had sex three times that week, and Harry was hundred percent sure that he had heard her mutter a contraceptive charm two of the times, but the third (and last time) had been heated, swift and wildly passionate – had either of them even had the chance to think of casting the important charm?

"I don't expect anything from you, Harry," Ginny continued. "I just want you to know that I'm keeping the baby. I'm gonna be a mum. You have to decide if you want to be a dad."

Harry's jaw had been dropped for so long that it was starting to ache. He clamped his mouth shut and tried to take her words in. _Be a dad, be a dad, be a dad… _That was the only phrase that flew across his mind at the moment. Over and over again. Then he felt the need to ask the inevitable question.

"And you're sure... it's mine?"

Ginny let out a shocked gasp that Harry could tell was not fake.

"How can you ask me that?" she demanded, sounding extremely insulted. "Put me under Veritaserum right now so I that I can swear to you that I haven't slept around behind your back and that it's _your_ baby!"

Harry winced and held up his hands in defeat.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he said meekly.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts after the weekend," Ginny finally said as she stood. "Professor McGonagall gave me special permission to leave the school to tell my family... and you. I think it's best that you mull things over, so I'm going to go now."

She made her way to the hall, but Harry came after her and grabbed her arm as she opened the door. She twirled around, her eyes full of hope.

"Er… Be careful."

He could have smacked himself. That was not what he had wanted to say. Ginny flashed him the ghost of a smile and nodded reassuringly. The she left, closing the door behind her. Harry stood frozen on the spot for a few minutes before he remembered that his girlfriend was in his room, waiting for him. He slowly made his way down the hall, dragging it out as much as he could. He realized that he didn't want to reach his room. Not one part of him wanted to tell Hermione what had happened in the living room. But he had to. Something this big could never be kept away from her.

He found Hermione standing towards the window, her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair shimmered slightly in the evening sun. She turned when she heard him approach her, keeping her arms crossed. After taking his expression in, she tore her gaze away. It was bad. She could feel it.

"What did she want?" she asked as she sat down on the bed, bracing herself to hear the worst.

Harry tried to swallow, but it was hard. How could he tell her? It would destroy her! But there was no other choice. And from somewhere inside of him, he mustered the strength he needed to tell his girlfriend that another woman was carrying his child.

"She wanted to tell me… She said… She is…"

"Out with it, Harry!"

He struggled with the words some more. Then, lowering his gaze, he finally managed to gasp out:

"Pregnant!"

Silence. Absolute silence. He forced his head up to meet her shocked expression.

"Pregnant?" Hermione repeated in absolute disbelief.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Yeah, pregnant."

"Okay, we have to stop saying that word before I throw up," Hermione said as she clutched her stomach.

Harry didn't reply, but he silently agreed. He was still feeling a little queasy as it was. He slowly shuffled his feet over to the bed. After he had sat himself down next to her, he took her hand in his. They didn't speak for a very long time.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I had slept with her," Harry said, rubbing his thumb over her fingers.

Hermione smiled sadly as she waved his apology away, wincing slightly as the thought of Harry and Ginny in bed together flashed through her mind.

"Don't be," she told him softly. "I wouldn't have want to know. I still wish I didn't know. But now it's so vividly clear that it makes me a little nauseous."

She paused and saw that Harry made an apologetic face. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"How are you?" she asked

Harry took a deep breath as he thought about how to answer that question. Lowering his gaze, he slowly started to put into words how he felt.

"I'm feeling a bit… strange. It's like it's a bad dream, you know? I can't believe this happened."

"When did it happen?"

His head snapped up and he gave her a sharp look.

"When did what happen?" he demanded.

Hermione just looked at him for a moment.

"The... conception," she answered simply, her voice quivering a little as she spoke and she winced once again as the image danced through her mind.

"Oh," Harry said and grimaced. "Well, I'm not sure, but she's nine weeks... along. So it had to be one of the times before I brought her here. Most likely the night before the... incident."

"Woah. That's bad timing," she said as her eyes widened in surprise

Harry couldn't help it – he let out a short laugh that made Hermione quirk her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I just agree with you. It was lousy timing. Absolutely lousy."

Hermione gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand for a moment.

"What happens now?" she wondered after a while in silence.

Harry let out a heavy sigh as he pressed his free hand against his temple. Did she expect him to already know what exactly was supposed to happen? He had barely understood the idea of Ginny carrying a child that was his.

"I don't know, Hermione. I can barely make sense of my thoughts right know."

Neither of them spoke for a while. Then Harry tilted his head and frowned slightly when he noticed the expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should really tell him what she thinking.

"Do you want me to leave?" she wondered, biting her lip.

Harry was floored. She wanted to escape? Did she want to leave him on his own at a time when he needed her the most? The anger must have been evident in on his face, because she hurried to continue.

"I don't _want_ to leave, Harry, really," she said softly. "I just thought that maybe you wanted time to think on your own."

She reached for his hand and he immediately laced their fingers together. The anger subsided from his eyes and then he buried his face into her neck. Her scent had a calming effect on him, made him feel a little better. They sat in silence for a long time, both with their own thoughts. Harry was first to break the peace.

"I love you," he said frankly. "Always know that."

Hermione smiled and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I do know that," she told him. "And I love you. Promise me that you'll remember that, no matter what happens."

Harry's smile was small, but it was there. He kissed her lips tenderly, then cupped her chin with his hand.

"No matter what?" he repeated.

"No matter what," she said again as she nodded.

He kissed her before he agreed to always remember that she loved him, no matter what the future held in store for them.

They stayed in bed the entire afternoon, speaking very little. When they did speak, it was only mundane things, like the research Hermione was working on and how well Harry was was doing in Auror school. For as long as possible, they both avoided the subject that was going to change their lives, one way or the other.

They took turns lying in each others arms. Hermione had once felt safe in his arms, like nothing could harm her. But now that Ginny was going to be the mother of Harry's child, she felt as if his embrace didn't belong to her anymore. It felt as though her time with Harry was only borrowed, stolen away from Ginny for two months of selfish happiness. A feeling of foreboding and fear started infesting her mind. The fear of losing Harry after waiting so long was tearing her apart. She started doubting that their love was strong enough to get through this together, side by side.

Almost five hours after they had received Ginny's shocking news, Hermione's stomach grumbled. They had forgotten about lunch. She freed herself from Harry and sat on the edge of the bed for a while as she watched him. His eyes were closed, but they fluttered open when she gently caressed his cheek. He had a sleepy expression, but his eyes were alert as they locked with Hermione's brown stare.

"Where are you going?" he asked her quietly.

He hoped intensely that she wasn't going to her own place. He needed her here, with him.

"I'm going to make us dinner," she answered as she stroke her thumb over his lips. "Aren't you hungry?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"Starving."

Hermione kissed the top of his head.

"I'll whip something together then."

She left his room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He was grateful to her, very grateful. Knowing that she was ready to support him and stick this through with him, made him feel like everything was going to be alright.

"How could this have happened?" he growled suddenly as he threw his arms over his head.

They had been so careful when it came to sex, been sure to use a contraceptive charm every time, so that this _wouldn't_ happen. Ginny wasn't even out of of Hogwarts yet! And Harry knew that her dream was to continuing study healing, to become a medi-witch. She didn't want to get tied up like this, by having a baby at the age of seventeen. So why was she going to have the baby? She wouldn't be able to follow her dream if she did.

With this in mind, he walked over to the fireplace and threw a handful of floopowder in, calling the Burrow. He hoped that no one but Ginny would answer. He didn't have the strength to deal with Mrs Weasley right now.

"Hi, Harry," Ginny said, both sounding and looking surprised.

"Hey," he said quietly.

He didn't want Hermione to hear him.

"Did you get back home alright?" he continued.

"Of course I did. I apparated with mum, but she was kind enough to wait for me outside. But I'm guessing that's not why you're calling."

It wasn't a question, just an observation. Harry sighed slightly. He hesitated a moment, trying to find the best way to express what he wanted to say to her.

"I'm just wondering why you're going to keep the baby," he said slowly. "You want to be a medi-witch."

Ginny sighed.

"And I still want that, Harry, but things change."

_Things change_? Anyone could have given him that answer.

"I know they do, but this is something that doesn't have to change."

"You're referring to that thing that muggles do when they don't want to keep their babies," Ginny stated, sounding weary. "What was is called? Aboration or something? Anyway, that's illegal in the wizarding world."

Harry stared blankly at her. It was illegal to get abortions in the wizarding world? Well, that was bad news.

"What about school? Your dreams?" he wondered.

Ginny was quiet for a little while.

"Luckily I only have a few moths left at Hogwarts" she finally answered. "I won't even show much at graduation. I'm going to live at the Burrow so that mum can help me. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to continue my studies in a few years, but for now I'm going to stay there so that she can help me. I'll be close enough to you if you want to be apart of the baby's life."

_Do you not remember anything I've told you! _Harry wanted to yell at her. He had told her countless times that what he wanted most in life was to settle down and have lots of kids. She knew that he would want to be a part of the child's life. Perhaps this was the game she was playing – by being nice about it, giving him options, maybe she thought that would get him to leave Hermione after a while. He closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily.

"Why is that the magical world forbids abortion?" he wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"That I don't know," was all Ginny said.

"So I guess wizards and witches are forced to live with the consequences of the mistakes they make," he said without thinking.

Ginny's eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm sorry you think about it that way. I know I don't. I'll talk to you later, Harry. Bye."

She pointed her wand at him and he felt his head come out of the fire, back into his bedroom.

He had gone to far when he had said that their lovemaking had been a mistake. He didn't really believe that it was, because he had actually cared a lot for her then – maybe he had even loved her. But her actions and words towards Hermione had changed that in an instant.

He loved Hermione with all of his heart. It was unfortunate that this had happened. _She _should be the one carrying his child, not now, but in the years to come. He flipped over onto his stomach with a frustrated sound. Things were complicated. He thought back on the breakfast he had shared with Hermione nine hours prior. Life had been easy then. They had talked about the summer and where they would go on vacation. Just the two of them, to get away from everything. He had seen that a future with her was the future he wanted. He still wanted that, but that would it be even possible?

When Hermione returned to announce that dinner was ready, Harry was fast asleep. She sat down next to him, watching him lovingly as she gently caressed his cheek. Then she went back out to the kitchen to eat dinner and to watch a movie. She needed a distraction. Something that wouldn't make her inside squirm even more.

Harry was woken by his alarm clock the next morning. He had forgotten to turn it off yesterday morning. It was just as well. It was only eight o'clock in the morning, but he had slept for almost thirteen hours. That was a luxury he hadn't had since before his Auror training had started.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a long time before he noticed Hermione's absence. He turned to look under the covers, but she wasn't there. Confused, he took of down the hall and found her sleeping on the couch with a book clutched in her arms. He watched her sleep for a few minutes, loving how peaceful she looked at the moment. He didn't want to wake her back up to reality, but he wanted (and needed) to talk to her before she had to go to the potions lab.

He got down on his knees in front of her and gently kissed her cheek before he softly said her name. She

didn't stir. He tried again and this time she mumbled something in her sleep. Harry smirked and nudged her shoulder. Hermione's eyes flew open. He smiled at her, while she blinked a few times to get used to the blazing sunlight.

"Hey, you," he said softly. "There's no waking you gently, did you know that?"

Hermione ignored his question. Instead she pulled him close and buried her face in his neck. He closed his eyes, loving the way she nuzzled his neck and let out a content sigh.

"Good morning," he whispered into her hair as he placed an arm around her back. "Why did you sleep

out here?"

Hermione didn't answer. Instead she gently kissed his neck and pulled him closer to her. As much as he was loving what she was doing, she had to get her engines going.

"Love, I'm going to put on some coffee," he told her and began retreating from her crunching embrace. "Get going."

She mumbled a low 'hmm' in consent.

He fixed the coffeemaker and then just stared as the dark brownish liquid streamed into the pot. He heard from a distance that Hermione flushed the toilet. When he came back to the living room, carrying two cups of coffee with milk and sugar, Hermione was sitting on the couch, waiting for him. He gave her a small smile as he put the cups down before taking his place next to her. For a while they sat in silence, cautiously sipping coffee, both in their own thoughts.

"Why did you sleep out here?" Harry said at last.

Hermione managed not to roll her eyes.

"I didn't mean to," she told him. "I was reading a book after dinner and some lame movie on the telly and later on I just fell asleep."

"Sorry I fell asleep while you were making dinner," Harry said softly. "I was just…"

He trailed of, not finding the right words.

"Mentally exhausted?" Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded slowly. That was exactly how he was and had been feeling.

"Well, I understand that you fell asleep," Hermione said with a shrug. "I'm kind of exhausted myself, so I can only imagine how you feel. You're the one it concerns after all."

His head snapped up and met her gaze.

"This doesn't concern you?" he wondered, sounding a little hurt. "How can you say that? You're my girlfriend. How can it not concern you? You're such a big part of my life…"

He fell silent and just looked at her. He needed her to help him trough this. In order for her to do so, she had to stop dismissing this as _his_ problem. Hermione suddenly understood how he felt about the issue. He _wanted_ her to be a part of his decisions. She lowered her head, feeling a little ashamed. How could she have overlooked that?

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then looked up to meet his eyes. "This is hard for me too, okay? You're going to be a father, Harry. You're having a baby… with someone that isn't me. I'll never be more than okay about it. That might sound harsh, but that's the was it is. But at the same time, I'll always be there for you, if you want me to."

Harry felt a pang of guilt. In the same way that she had overlooked his feelings, he had overlooked hers. He was going to be a father, yes, and it sucked that it happened now, when he was eighteen years old. It sucked even more that Hermione wasn't the mother. But how did she feel, knowing that the man she had loved for so long was becoming the father of another woman's child? He let his mind wander into the future. Before Ginny's visit, it had been so clear – after they were both done with their higher education they would get married and somewhere along the line, kids would be involved. And now, their children would have a half-sister or brother.

Would it work, being with Hermione while having a child with Ginny? The girls may have been friends once, but he was sure that neither one of them liked the other now. There was too much that had between them.. Hermione would never forgive Ginny for being so… downright evil, while Ginny would always consider Hermione as the reason she and Harry broke up.

He imagined throwing a birthday party for his child to be – the kid was laughing and having a great time, opening presents and eating cake, while Mummy and Daddy's wife were glaring daggers at each other.

In his heart, Harry was starting to understand that Hermione and Ginny would never be on friendly terms with each other again.

He felt a chill go down his spine.

What if he had to chose between Hermione and his unborn child? He didn't want it to come to that. The thought of life without Hermione was… unbearable. But the idea of having a child of his own was… exciting, but scary.

He had always wanted children. He had pictured himself as a working father with a bunch of kids and a loving wife. Ginny had never really fit into that picture. Hermione, on the other hand, _was_ the picture.

His heart told him that if it did come down to choosing between Hermione and his kid, he should chose Hermione. She was his counterpart, his soul mate. But by ignoring his mind, by choosing not to be a part of his child's life, he knew that the feeling of something missing in his life, and years of building up a guilty conscience, would slowly drive him insane. Besides, the Weasley's were apart of his family. He couldn't just ignore all of them for the rest of his life, could he?

He snapped out of his daze to find Hermione resting her head on his lap. After a long time of just looking at her, he gently started stroking her head, loving the way her hair tickled his palms. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a small smile.

"Welcome back," she whispered.

Harry frowned slightly.

"Welcome back?" he repeated. "Where did I go?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "All I know is that you've been staring at the wall for ten minutes – your expression kept shifting back and fourth between sadness and confusion. After a while I put my head on your lap... Want to share?"

She sounded worried, but eager to prove that she was there for him, Harry noticed. But for some reason, he didn't want to reveal what he really had been thinking. Perhaps he thought that she wasn't ready to hear it. He was certain that Hermione hadn't even considered the possibility of them not being together. There was no way she was ready to hear that he was thinking about maybe being forced to choose.

"It's nothing new," he lied, "just this entire thing. How are you, Hermione? Honestly?"

Hermione slowly lifted herself into a siting position.

"Honestly, Harry?" she started, wanting to make sure he really wanted to hear it.

He nodded. She turned her gaze away from him.

"Not good," was all she said for a long time.

Harry noticed that she had trouble finding the right words.

"I've thought about our future a lot – even before we were a couple. After we got together, I thought my life was set. I know we're young, but I could feel that we're supposed to be with each other, you know?"

She paused and turned to see him nod.

"This, I could never have imagined. I know it happened before we got together, but somehow it feels like you've betrayed me."

That was the wrong thing to say. Hermione realized just after she had said it how Harry was likely to take it. She reached for his hand.

"No, Harry, don't take it like that…"

"Like what, Hermione?" he spat and forcefully patted her hand away.

Hermione jumped back at the harshness of his tone. Her hand stung a little from where his own had hit her.

"How the hell am I supposed to take it, Hermione?" he ground out when she didn't say anything.

"I don't know, but not literally!" Hermione yelled at him. "We are talking about _my_ feelings about this now, Harry, and you said you wanted to know how I _honestly_ feel! The truth of the matter is, Harry, that whether or not you meant for it to happened, you've screwed up our future by getting Ginny knocked up!"

Harry stared at her. Was that really how she felt?

"Can't you see, Harry? There is no 'our' future anymore! It's not just the two of us from now on. Don't you understand? You have not betrayed me literally, but by sleeping with Ginny, you've screwed up and completely ruined the future I was hoping for, for us!"

Harry felt his anger deflating a little. He knew that she was right, but it still stung to hear her say it.

"She will always be in the background, hoping to cause some rift between us. I know you desperately want a family, Harry, but I was hoping and expecting that that family would be _ours_. Our children, our life. How can you not understand how awful I feel that your firstborn child will be with another woman?"

She paused to take a deep breath.

"This is _Ginny_, Harry. The same _Ginny_ that has been madly in love with you since before she met you. The same _Ginny _who told me to get out of your life because she for some reason was jealous of our friendship. The same _Ginny _that told me to let St Mungo's lock my mother away. And the same _Ginny_ who shot a stunner at me from behind."

Every time she said 'Ginny' it came out as a venomous hiss, although her voice was surprisingly calm. Harry stared at the floor, his hands hanging helplessly of his knees. He didn't try to interrupt her now – he had nothing to say.

"And now, I'll never be rid of her. If I chose to be with you, she'll always be there too, lurking in the shadows, hoping to get you back."

Harry finally looked up, his eyes narrowed. Hermione, realizing what she just had said, stood rooted to the

spot and looked at him fearfully.

"_If_ you chose to be with me?" he repeated dangerously.

It was out. The one thing that they both had worried about from the start. The possibility of them not being together. The possibility that they weren't strong enough to get through this together. He knew the right thing to do now was to walk up to her and put his arms around her, telling her that they would always be together. That they would get through this, somehow. But instead…

"You should leave."

It came out as a low and dangerous hiss, that left little room for her to argue with. She looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. If she left know, it would probably mean the end of their relationship. She could sense it somehow. Harry saw the tears streaming down her delicate face and it hurt him to see her like this. Just as he was about to take his words back, she walked away. He heard the door slam and he closed his eyes, doing all he could to shut out the expression on her face, that look of utter despair.

It was no use. The look on her face would haunt him forever. Feeling like he was trapped inside the not so small apartment, he ran to his bedroom, pulled out his Firebolt from under the bed, used his wand to open the window and then flew out into the open air, leaving the past twenty-four hours behind him.

AN: Please review, even if you hate me for this chapter.


	5. A change of scenery

AN: Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything – I've been crazy busy with school. I'll do my absolute best to be better in the future, so please stay with this story. There's lots of drama yet to come!

*

Chapter Five

A change of scenery

*

Hermione stumbled through the front door of her parents house, hardly seeing where she was going due to the big tears clouding her vision. Her mother still lived here, but the place was slowly looking shabbier and dustier and just more... _not livable_ for every passing day. All Mrs Granger did during the days was to lie in bed, eat occasionally, go to the bathroom (but not nearly as often as was needed) and at all hours of the day, she would call for her husband. Soon, since Mrs Granger didn't work, she would have to leave the house and go to St Mungo's. Hermione had always known this – she had just wanted to wait as long as possible, for her mother's sake. But suddenly it felt like this was the moment to do it. She didn't want to keep coming back here. It broke her heart every time she did.

She quietly packed a bag of clean clothes for her mother, put a picture frame from her parents wedding and another one with the three of them in a side compartment. Then she walked in to her old room and looked around to see if there was anything still in there that she wanted to take back to her flat. There wasn't, she concluded. Going back to her mother's room, she magically changed her clothes and tidied up her hair a bit. Mrs Granger barely seemed to notice. When she was done, she raised her mother from the bed, held a firm tight around her waist (the bag in her other hand) and apparated to the entrance of St Mungo's. A Healer came out to meet her, having been notified by the magical trigger that announced when someone had entered the premises.

"Hermione!" exclaimed the healer with a surprised voice.

Hermione's head snapped up. It was Katie Bell – she had gone on to be a Healer? She instantly wished she had thought again about coming here. Now everyone would know that she had admitted her mother to St Mungo's mental institution. She regretted the thought the second after it flitted through her mind, because she knew that Healers had all made a promise of secrecy when they entered their service. Taking a deep breath, Hermione readjusted the hold she had around her mother and held out her hand to Katie.

"Hi, Katie," she said as the other woman shook her hand. "I'm here to admit my mother today."

She saw a brief look of sympathy in Katie's eyes, but afterwards her former house mate was all business as they got Mrs Granger inside and her paper's filled out. Hermione was immensely grateful that Katie didn't ask a lot of personal questions – she didn't want to talk about anything that wasn't necessary. When everything was done, when her mother finally was a permanent resident of the Janus Thickey Ward, a locked ward for long-term patients, on the fifth floor where they took care of people suffering from spell damage, Hermione felt a chill go through her. Her only family was now locked up in a magical mental institution... It did comfort her a bit to know that the Longbottom's were in the room next to her mother's, but this in turn also made her feel worse – she knew very well how Neville had felt coming here year after year.

As Hermione exited St Mungo's, she found herself wondering what she was supposed to do know. She didn't know where to go from here. Tomorrow she would go by Gringotts to have them help her sell her mother's house, but before that she needed somewhere to sleep tonight. She didn't want to stay in the big house on her own, and she had rented out her flat in Diagon Alley to Luna Lovegood after she had been together with Harry for about a month, so she couldn't go there either. She couldn't go to the Burrow, because Molly would probably not be able to hide the satisfaction of having Harry back as her son-in-law-candidate, her daughter being pregnant with his child and all. Ron still wouldn't speak to her, so going by the flat he shared with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan was out of the question. Her only option then was to get a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the evening and then start looking for something more permanent tomorrow. She sighed deeply, dreading the night. The beds in the rooms of the Leaky Cauldron were supposed to be very comfortable, but for some reason, she always managed to get one that either had a broken spring or one that squeaked so loudly she hardly ever slept at all.

As Hermione lay her head down on the pillow (the bed hadn't squeaked when she got in it) she knew that she wouldn't sleep tonight due to the events of this dreadful day. She cried herself to sleep, but before she entered dreamland, she felt a spring poke into her back – and for once, she didn't care at all.

* * *

When Harry came home after flying around for almost four hours, he was cold and hungry, but above everything else, he was extremely sad. For some reason he had expected Hermione to be here when he came back, but then he realized that he had ordered her to leave – Hermione would never come back, and it was all his fault. He threw his broom across the hall with a howl of agony and then let it lie there as he went to take a shower. He was so cold that his hands were shaking and for the first time ever, he had to use magic to turn the handle on the shower faucet.

He knew that he should feel thrilled about becoming a father, and somewhere very deep down, he was. At the moment those feelings weren't at all dominant, because his sadness of what was going on with Hermione took over everything else. How could he have been so stupid, sending her away like that? All she had done was to tell him how betrayed she felt, even if she knew that was irrational. How could he blame her for distrusting their future, when he felt exactly the same? Sighing, he realized that this would blow over with time. He and Hermione would be together again, even if it took time. He could feel it.

* * *

At noon the next day Hermione was so exhausted and sad and alone that she wanted to crawl under her bed and never come out again. She had slept horribly, due to the nightmares that had haunted her dreams and she had just spent two hours with a Gringotts goblin, going through all the paperwork and crap that had to be done to sell her mother's house – thanks to some magical influence, the goblin had promised her that the house would be sold within a week and if there was anything she wanted to get from there, it had to be done before the day was over.

Now she was sitting at a table in one of the dark corner's over the Leaky Cauldron, having hot tomato soup with bread and pumpkin juice. She flipped through the Daily Prophet as she ate, not really reading anything, but looking as if she was busy so that people would leave her alone. When she got to the job ads, she skimmed through them as she always did, hoping that this was the day that she would find some kind of position as a Potions Apprentice. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw, at the end of the page:

_Potions Apprentice wanted at Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a minimum of two years. Apprentice will be expected to help out the Potions Master of the Hogwarts with everything from ordinary potions and running errands for supplies, to helping out with essay grading and helping out in the classroom. _

– _Acquired of applicants: An O at N.E.W.T level in potions. Be aware that if you are called for an interview, you will be questioned bout your knowledge about potions and tested on actual brewing. Further, a high tolerance for stress and an inner calm is needed to handle this position._

– _Included in the apprenticeship: Living quarters in the dungeons, free meals in the Great Hall, access to private potions lab and a salary of 50 galleons a week. _

– _Last day to submit your application: __March 13th, 2000_

Hermione gasped as she realized that March 13 was _today_. It was an opportunity just like this one that she had waited for ever since she had realized that potions was the thing she wanted to pursue and she had totally missed it due to the all the drama concerning her relationship with Harry. That the position was a Hogwarts just made it that much more desirable to her. She quickly gathered her things and then ran off to the nearest apparation point. Turning on her heel, she disappeared with a 'pop' and the next moment she appeared outside The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmede. She wasted no time – instead she took off running towards the gate of Hogwarts. As soon as she was there, she blasted away her Potronus to find Hagrid, so that he could let her in.

While she waited for the Gatekeeper, she looked at the very familiar castle with a feeling of yearning. She had missed Hogwarts more than she had realized. Standing in such close proximity of the grounds, made a lot of memories come crashing back to her. Both good and bad ones. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the scenes that flashed in her mind. Dwelling on such memories at this time would not do her any good. Instead she thought back on the last time she had been here – that had been the day when she had gotten her Hogwarts diploma, after McGonagall had let sit all the tests in private. It felt like it had only been yesterday, instead of the fifteen months that had passed since that time.

It only took Hagrid five minutes to come to the gate after she had arrived. He met her with a huge grin and happy sparkle in his eyes.

"Hermione! It's so good ter see yeh. Come in, come in."

He unlocked the gate and then engulfed her in a bone breaking hug.

"Yeh gotta come by more often, Hermione! I miss you an' the boys too much when yer not here."

"Hagrid – can't... breath!" Hermione managed to get out, which made the half-giant let go of her immediately.

He looked a bit sheepish, but she just smiled at him and told him how wonderful it was to see him. They started walking up towards the castle, exchanging small pleasantries along the way.

"So, what are yeh doing here, Hermione? No' that I mind, o' course."

"I'm here to apply for the Potions apprenticeship," she told him and then sighed quietly. "I've been so wrapped up around my own life for so long that I didn't see the ad until today. I wanted to make sure that Professor Snape knows that I am very interested in the position."

Hagrid chuckled a bit as he opened the door and held it open for her.

"I'm sure he'll understand that once he sees yeh. And I'm quite sure he'll be pleased – from what I hear, the applicants so far have no' been... to Snape's likin'."

Hermione felt her pulse quicken – she still had a chance!

"Well, it's lunchtime still, and if Snape follows the same pattern he's had lately, I would say he's in his office, going through applications. He's not been seen in the Great Hall for almost a week."

Hagrid stopped right outside the entrance to the Great Hall and peaked in.

"Yep, ain't up there. Go to his office, Hermione. You remember where that is?"

Hermione laughed a little, giving him a playful look.

"Hagrid! You forget to whom you are speaking. _Of course_ I can find my way to Professor Snape's office," she said, sounding almost reproachful.

Hagrid just shook his head and smiled.

"Yer right, yer right. Dunno what I was thinking. Off you go then."

Hermione shot him a brilliant smile and then took off down the corridor. Now, if she remembered correctly, Snape's office was down the corridor of the seventh year's potions classroom. As she entered the dungeons, she turned around a very familiar corner and then – WHAM! She found herself walking straight into someone's chest. She staggered backwards and right when she was about to fall and land on her bum, two strong hands reached out and grabbed her.

"Miss Granger, please do watch where you are going," snapped the unmistakable voice of Severus Snape. "Had it been anyone but me, you would be in quite some pain now – the stone floor of the dungeons is quite hard, you know."

Hermione took a deep breath and then did her best to compose herself. It almost sounded as Snape was teasing her – he had certainly sounded amused enough during that little speech. He let go of her and then folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I was too happy at being back here that I didn't quite think to watch my steps more carefully," she said as she met his gaze.

"I assume, Miss Granger, that since you are heading down this way, that you had come here to see me about something?" Snape drawled, his eyes searching.

"You assume correctly," she said with a small smile.

He nodded once and then motioned for her to follow him down the long, dark corridor.

"You said you are happy to back here, Miss Granger," Snape said as they walked side by side. "Tell me, why is that?"

Hermione chuckled a bit.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she answered with a shrug. "I spent my first years in the magical world at this school – it was like a second home. I've missed everything about it and everyone who lives here."

Snape turned his head slightly to look at her.

"_Everyone_, Miss Granger?"

Hermione gave him one of those brilliant smiles she had earlier given Hagrid.

"Yes, Professor – even you."

Snape looked so startled at that revelation that Hermione almost laughed out loud. She managed to control herself though, because she didn't want him to think that she was joking – she had missed all her teacher's, even the surly Professor Snape. He was a part of Hogwarts as much as everyone else. They didn't speak again until they were seated in Snape's office.

"What did you want to speak with me about then, Miss Granger?" Snape wondered as he moved some papers around on his desk.

Before Hermione had a chance to speak, Headmistress McGonagall called Snape through the floo. He glowered a bit, but told Hermione that it would just take a minute.

"Do not touch anything, Miss Granger," he warned in a dangerous hiss and then he disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

She took this moment to glance around the room – she had not really taken much time to look around when she had been in the room in her second year to steal boomslang skin and bicorn horn for the Polyjuice Potion. Just as she remembered, the walls were covered with shelves of large jars made out of glass, containing various potions ingredients that were too precious or dangerous to keep out in the students storage. The room was warm due to the fact that the fireplace that had been cold and dark during her last visit, now held a raging fire – this was not the fireplace Snape had just taken off through. He had two fireplaces, Hermione realized with a frown. Weird. Did he really floo so often that he needed one fireplace empty at all times? She shook her head and then her eyes continued taking in the office. There was a surprising amount of color in the room. The curtains on the only window of the room were Slytherin green and silver, as was the large carpet in different shades of green and blue under the desk. He had an oil-lamp on one corner of the desk, and on the other there was a Pensieve. Hermione tilted her head as she looked at the shallow stone basin and she wondered if this was the same Pensieve that had once belonged to Albus Dumbledore.

The next moment, Snape was back. He looked tired and worn out all of a sudden.

"Madness," she heard him mutter under his breath. "Absolute madness."

She hesitated a second, but then the need to satisfy her curiosity made her ask:

"I'm sorry, sir, but what is madness?"

Snape sat down behind his desk, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

"Headmistress McGonagall wants me hire my apprentice after the weekend – the school is running dangerously low on healing potions. The madness lies in the fact that all the applicants so far have been nothing but a pack of dunderheads."

Hermione tried to hide her excitement, but clearly she was not successful.

"You look much too thrilled about this dire situation for my liking, Miss Granger," he drawled, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Now tell me, why are you here?"

"I'm here to apply for the apprenticeship, of course. I find it strange that you haven't figured that out yet," told him frankly.

He blinked, for a moment not betraying any feelings whatsoever. Then–

"Are... are you sure?" he asked her, his voice full of surprise (and was that hope she could detect?).

Hermione nodded vigorously.

"I have waited for an opportunity like this for over a year. I want to become a Potions Mistress, but no matter how much research I do on my own, I will never be able to get that title nor the skills involved without a mentor. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in the problems of my own life, you would have gotten my application on the first day the ad was published in the Prophet."

The room was quite for a moment. Then Snape got to his feet, walked around the desk and held out his hand towards her.

"You are hired then, Miss Granger."

Hermione's jaw dropped in shock and she stared at his hand in stunned disbelief.

"What, just like that?" she managed to get out and she raised her eyes to meet the black one's of the Potions Master.

"Just like that, Miss Granger. Shake my hand and then I can tell you exactly why you are hired."

She did as instructed and then Snape sat back down behind his desk.

"Close your mouth, Miss Granger," Snape said and then smirked when she had some trouble doing so. "The reason you are hired 'just like that' is because I know you to be an exceptional potions maker, but more importantly, you have a passion for it. I have seen this in your research about moonstones, and I feel confident that under my supervision you will be able to come to the conclusions you are seeking. Also, I am tired of interviewing all these dimwits."

He gestured with his hand over the papers scattered across his desk. Hermione assumed they were applications. When Snape started speaking again, he seemed almost hesitant to continue.

"Forgive me for asking you this, you must remember that I am very private man and normally I would never think about asking a question such as this – but then again, this situation is quite different, as it always is with Mr..."

"Professor, please! You're rambling!"

Hermione could not quite muster the strength to hide her astonishment at the fact that the few-worded Severus Snape was _rambling_. She looked at him, her eyes narrowed, now slightly nervous about hearing the question that could make a man like him ramble. Snape himself looked quite taken back at being caught doing something so uncharacteristic.

"What about your relationship with Mr Potter? You do realize that you will have to live here for two years – during summer you'll get three weeks off – and most of the weekends you will be needed to collect potion ingredients and for other various tasks."

Hermione's felt her insides turn slightly at the question. She didn't want to think about Harry. He was no longer a factor to consider in whether she should accept this position or not.

"That won't be a problem, Professor," she said, hating that her voice sounded so small.

"Really? Is there trouble in paradise?" he retorted without thinking.

Hermione looked up at him, the pain searing through her entire being, and then she promptly burst into tears. She noticed his horrified expression before the tears blurred her sight. The next moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder. The touch was hesitant, but comforting nonetheless.

"I... Forgive me, Miss Granger. I spoke out of turn."

Hermione was so starved for comfort that what she did next, she did without thinking of the consequences – she threw herself into the Potions Master's arms and buried her face in his chest. Snape was so startled by this that he had to take a few stumbling steps back, but Hermione clung to him as if her life depended on it. After a moment, he loosely but gently wrapped his arms around her, awkwardly patting her back with one hand. He was allowing this open display of emotion solely due to the fact that he had been the cause of the whole thing in the first place. He silently cursed himself – this was the reason he never became too personal with people!

When Hermione had settled down, raised her head from Snape's chest and looked him in the eye.

"I am so sorry, Professor," she whispered, feeling quite pathetic. "I've drenched your entire shirt."

"I will accept your apology only if you accept mine," he said softly as he let her go.

She sat down on the chair again and gave him a small smile.

"You're forgiven, Professor. Thank you for not pushing me away."

Snape merely inclined his head and then sat down again as well.

"Do you wish to tell me what has happened? I do not want to pry, but this seems to be quite new since the press hasn't gotten wind of it yet."

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"Do you really wish to know, Professor?" she wondered, sounding skeptical.

"I deem it fitting for us to get better acquainted with each other, Miss Granger, seeing as we will be working together. I am... trying to 'come out of my shell', as Minerva calls it, and to be able to do that, she has told me that I need to ask people questions about their personal life."

Hermione barked out a laugh, which made Snape lift an eyebrow, silently asking her what was amusing.

"Sorry, sir, I just thought that it was Dumbledore that did all the meddling in this school."

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched, as if he was about to smile.

"Indeed, Miss Granger. However, I doubt Minerva is acting without an accomplice – as you can probably guess, there is a portrait of Albus Dumbledore in the Headmistress's office."

They shared a knowing look and then Snape once again asked her if she wanted to tell him what had gone wrong. Hermione sighed, seriously thinking it over. Then she nodded and swiftly told him the entire tale. When she was done, Snape had an almost nervous kind of look.

"Miss Granger, need I remind you that Miss Weasley is still a student here?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but no sound come out. She had forgotten that Ginny still had three months before she graduated. Merlin's beard. Snape had said earlier that McGonagall wanted the apprentice to begin next week. She would have to see Ginny's smug face several times per week for at least three months.

"Tell me, Professor... Is Ginny in your N.E.W.T class?"

Snape didn't have to answer her for Hermione to understand what the answer was. She took a deep breath, knowing full well that she only had two choices. Either she could walk away from fulfilling her dream or she could suck it up and show Ginny that she wasn't some little scared girl that the redhead could push around. It only took a few seconds for her to make up her mind.

"She's only here for three months, sir. I'm sure I'll be able to ignore her until then."

Snape actually smiled at that. Hermione blinked – he looked like a completely different person when he did that. She tilted her head. It suited him well. _He should smile more often_, Hermione thought.

"Good," he said, either purposely ignoring or oblivious to her scrutiny. "Now you should go home and pack your things. You will be moving to Hogwarts over the weekend."

Hermione was so excited that she felt like dancing, however she refrained from doing so. She would do nothing that could make Snape change his mind. She saw the Potions Master flick his wand, and two glasses along with a bottle of Firewhiskey appeared out of nowhere. He poured a little of the liquid into each glass and then offered one of them to Hermione. She took the glass and then waited to see what would happen next.

"A toast then, Miss Granger, to a long and eventful learning experience for us both."

Hermione smiled and saluted him with her glass before taking a long sip. She winced as the whiskey burned her throat. With a second sip, the glass was emptied. She stood and set the glass down on the desk.

"Your quarters will be ready by Friday, Miss Granger. Your apprenticeship starts Monday morning. You can use the floo in my office to move your things, but please do not venture in here after five o'clock."

Hermione gave the once so surly man a searching look.

"Excuse me for asking, sir, but why... why are you being so nice?"

Snape's demeanor changed from pleasant to serious instantly.

"I have realized, with the help of Minerva and Albus, that being the way I have always been has not brought me anything good. I am... trying to change, Miss Granger. Seeing as the war didn't claim my life as I had expected, I now have a long life ahead of me. I no longer wish to be solely on my own."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Potions Master.

"No, Miss Granger, whatever you have to say can wait. We have a lot of time to discuss life, but now you must get your affairs in order and I have a potions class with weak-minded first years."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"May I floo out if here, sir?" she wondered and eyed the fireplace behind his desk.

"Of course," was all he said and then he walked over to the fireplace and muttered something under his breath. "I have now keyed you in to the system. You will be only be able to enter from the Leaky Cauldron, but you can floo to any fireplace from here."

"Thank you."

Snape inclined his head as a way of saying goodbye and then left the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Hermione watched him leave and then she flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. From there she apparated to her mother's house to clear out whatever she wanted to keep. And after that, she knew she would have to go by Harry's apartment to pick up her stuff.

* * *

Harry was exhausted. He had barely slept anything the night before and he had had an excruciating day at Auror school. His body ached. His mind was sorrowful. Even before he had entered his apartment he could feel that something would be different. He had hoped that Hermione would be there – instead he found that all of her things were gone. There was a short note on the kitchen counter.

_No, your apartment has not been robbed. I cleared my stuff out. I think we need some time apart, Harry. No matter what the future holds, we need some time apart. It pains me greatly to say it, but... I love you – never forget that._

– _H_

Harry read the note three times before he crumbled it to pieces in his hand. He slammed his hand hard on the counter and then he did something he had not done in a long time – he cried his eyes out like a little child. He did this for ten minutes. Then he sat down, summoned a quill and a piece of paper and wrote a brief note.

_Ginny –_

_the next time you go to St Mungo's for a checkup I want to come too. I want to be there._

He sent it off with Barney, his new Eurasian Eagle owl and then he went to take a long, hot shower to loosen up his muscles and to forget about this crappy day.

* * *

To be continued...

AN: To all you H/Hr shippers who do not like this turn of events – remember that this story listed as a H/Hr story. PLEASE REVIEW! =)


	6. Life goes on

_AN: Sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. I had a few mean reviews that made me question the whole story... For a very long time, I was unwilling to even continue. Then I realized that not continuing wouldn't be fair to those of you who like this story. Nor would it be fair to myself, since I actually believe that this story is quite good. So, I'm not going to let a chosen few ruin this story for the rest of us. :)_

Chapter Six

Life goes on

Time passed slowly and quickly at the same time for Hermione Granger over the next few weeks. She spent most of her time helping Snape with every little task he sent her way, willingly doing anything he asked her to - the more she had to do, the less time she had to ponder over her personal problems. She hadn't yet gotten a chance to get back to her research, but she felt confident that she would have more time for that during the summer when the school would empty of students. Snape had been generous enough to only make sure she attended one N.E.W.T class per week, and even then Hermione mainly stayed in the background, quietly observing the students. She had quickly noticed that Ginny seemed unwilling to look at her and Hermione wondered if this was because she was feeling guilty or if she simply was afraid of any revenge the older witch might throw her way.

Her being at Hogwarts was both a blessing and a curse, something she had experienced the first day of her apprenticeship, when her position had been presented to the student body. Hermione closed her eyes, exhaling sharply as she thought back on the that horrifying day.

*~*Flashback*~*

_After Minerva had introduced her to the student body, the mix of clapping and booing informed Hermione that she had yet to be forgiven for "stealing" Harry from Ginny. The next moment, a Gryffindor swung his arm back and threw an unpeeled hard-boiled egg at her, but Snape made it vanish without a second thought before she had a chance to even get frightened._

"_Detention, Mr Creevy, for a month," said Headmistress McGonagall coldly and gave the young wizard a hard stare – the boy even whimpered in fear. "I can assure all of that any disrespect toward Miss Granger will result in severe punishment." _

_Hermione barely heard her. She was too shocked and hurt that Colin Creevy had hurled an egg at her. She made a mental note to force Ginny to tell her about what she had said to the Gryffindors about what had happened. So far she had avoided looking at the redhead, but now she was suddenly overcome with the urge to look at her. Ginny was already watching her, head tilted as if she was trying to solve a mystery. They stared at each other without blinking for quite some time. Hermione heard Minerva say something about her importance in the war, and that alone should be enough to treat her with respect._

"_If nothing else, remember that Miss Granger has the same authority over all of you as us teachers. She can give and dock points and she can give you detention," the Headmistress finished, ignoring the few gasps of shock and murmurs that followed her statement._

_Hermione's eyes were still locked with Ginny's, and she felt some small satisfaction in the younger witch's surprised gasp and the sudden look of fear in her eyes. _

*~*End Flashback*~*

It took her five weeks after coming to Hogwarts to confront Ginny – the Gryffindors had during all that time treated her as she was the worst thing that had set foot inside the castle since Voldemort himself had entered the grounds on the day of the Final Battle. Mutterings and evil glances had been thrown her way daily. It wasn't until Hermione took Ginny aside and spoke to her directly that the sneering and open contempt had stopped.

*~*Flashback*~*

_"Ginny, I don't know what you have been telling the Gryffindors, but you have to set the record straight. You have to tell them that I did not steal Harry from you."_

"Why would I do that, Hermione? You seem to think that I actually care about what people say about you, about what happens to you," Ginny sneered, rolling her eyes.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. How could she never have seen how immature Ginny Weasley was? Very well, if the younger witch didn't want to be the bigger person, Hermione would simply have to start using the authority she had over the girl. She hated to do it, but the logic and compassion Ginny seemed to posses was the equivalent of that of a five-year-old.

"Fine, Ginny. You don't give crap about me. I don't care anymore. However, you should know that I can make your last month at Hogwarts very difficult for you."

A shadow passed over Ginny's face – the younger witch suddenly looked slightly worried.

"You see, Gin, the professors here sympathize with me - not you. They all know the truth. And even though you're pregnant, I doubt that Professor Snape, Flitwik and Hagrid would mind giving out a few extra detentions, despite the ones I give you. All I have to do is ask. And you know what? I can dock points from Gryffindor. As a matter of fact... Five points from Gryffindor for stunning me from behind. And five points to Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff for not_ stunning me from behind."_

Ginny gasped and her eyes bulged in shock.

"You can't do that!" she cried, outraged, but quickly glanced at the House Point Hourglasses, and she noticed that the points were added and withdrawn as Hermione had said.

"I can and I will if I must!" Hermione snapped, not liking at all that she was stooping to such a low level. "Ginny, listen to me very carefully. If you do not tell the Gryffindors what really happened, I will. And I will bring Harry" - she forced herself to ignore the stab of pain in her heart as she said his name for the first time since she'd seen him - "here to back my story up. You might be back in his good graces for carrying his child, but he will not have forgotten what drove you apart in the first place. And he will tell people the truth."

Ginny winced, knowing that Hermione had a very good point.

"Fine," she muttered grudgingly, hating that the older witch had her cornered and then stalked off.

*~*End Flashback*~*

Ginny had for once kept her word, which Hermione credited to the fact that she had mentioned Harry in her threat. A few days after she had cornered the young witch, things had improved for Hermione at Hogwarts. Colin had even come up to her one day after lunch and sincerely apologized to her. And now, Ginny and Hermione could blissfully ignore each other.

Snape had been a wonderful ally in all of this. He seemed to keep his word about coming out of his shell, at least when it came to her. He was as snarky and bad tempered to everyone else, but he treated Hermione with kindness and seemed to be quite content in her company. It helped that they liked the same type of books and shared a keen interest in learning new things. Snape admitted that he had never cared much for building a friendship with anyone after Lily, but that was only prior to the previous weeks. He approached her with everything from recent books he had read, to Potions articles - he even taught her how to play chess, something she soon found that she had a natural talent for.

In many ways, she felt as if Snape was her only friend at the moment. Luna had expressed that she was clearly on Hermione's side, but she was all the way in Diagon Alley, as she had not returned to Hogwarts to finish her last year - she was perfectly content with running the Quibbler with her father. Ron and the rest of the Weasley's clearly favored their daughter and sister's side in this whole mess. Or so she had thought. One morning at breakfast after about three weeks, Errol came flying towards her, dropping a letter in her lap before he flew off to the Owlery to regain his strength.

_Hermione, _

_I realize that you must not have had it easy these past couple of weeks. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to write to you until now. Things have been a bit crazy at the Burrow, as I'm sure you can imagine. I've been hearing so much slander against you that I'm beginning to feel that most of it, if not all of it, must be nothing but bullshit. I am here for you, if you ever need someone to talk to you. Not all the Weasley's are blindly following whatever Ginny and Ron are feeling. You're still Hermione Granger, the little annoying witch that made my life with Fred at Hogwarts difficult at times, but in the end turned out to be one of the truest friends I've ever had. If you want to talk, hang out or prank people or whatever, don't be afraid to contact me. _

_George_

Hermione had responded right away with a short thank you and that she would be in touch. Since then, they had written to each other every other day or so, and it felt to good to know that there was someone more on her side. She didn't really care much about him being a Weasley, that she had someone on the "inside" - it had been George's idea to keep his eyes and ears open, but Hermione had told him that it wasn't necessary. If she and Harry were meant to be, it would work itself out.

In the five weeks she had been here, she hadn't heard anything from Harry. It didn't surprise her, not really, as she hadn't tried to contact him either. Now it was the morning that started her sixth week at Hogwarts and Hermione woke missing Harry dreadfully. She had dreamed about him and as soon as she noticed that she was waking up, silent tears gently started streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to stay in bed all day long, but she knew she couldn't do that, neither to herself or to Snape. She had spent two weeks preparing to supervise her first own classes, starting with the first and second years today, the third and fourth years tomorrow, the fifth and sixth years on Wednesday and then lastly the seventh years on Thursday.

She dragged herself from bed, feeling as if she had the weight of world on her shoulders. She shivered slightly and decided to take a long, hot shower instead of going to breakfast – she was not in the mood for Ginny's radiant looks today. After she was done in the shower and when she had dressed herself, she found a tray of food for her waiting on the coffee table in the small living room – toast, marmalade and cinnamon buns, together with a cup of steaming coffee. Frowning slightly, she wondered where it had come from. She noticed a note under the cup, and lifted it, taking a sip as she turned to the note.

_Hermione – eat all of this or I will make breakfast mandatory for you. I will not permit my apprentice to start mistreating herself. _

Hermione let out a snort of a laugh, but then smiled, realizing how sweet Severus was being. She was so happy that she had him... But today she needed someone else to talk to. Someone who knew more about the whole dreadful situation – someone with an insider's perspective. She needed to see George. So, before she had the first years, she needed to send off a letter with one of the school owls. She desperately hoped he would have time to come to Hogsmeade for a drink and some of her heart wrenching whining.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"You look like hell, Hermione," was George's polite greeting when he saw her standing outside the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione glared at him until he took a step forward and wrapped her in his arms. She sighed contentedly. It had been so long since anyone had held her like this – since anyone had even touched her. Severus was great in curing some of her worst episodes of loneliness, but he didn't exactly offer any physical comfort.

"It's so nice to see you, George," she said into his neck and his arms tightened a bit when he heard how much she needed this hug – it was somehow quite evident in her tone. "Thank you for coming."

He took a step back and gave her a big grin.

"Anytime, Hermione. Shall we go in?" he wondered, gesturing towards the entrance to the Three Broomsticks. "Drinks are on me."

After drinks had been ordered (white wine for Hermione and Firewhiskey for George) and they had sat down in a corner booth furthest away from the bar, George didn't delay to express his concern.

"How are you? _Really_?"

Hermione sighed and then took a small sip of her wine.

"Honestly? I'm not sure... Some days I feel fine. Other days I want to stay in bed and cry until I fall asleep in sheer exhaustion. I don't understand... how this happened."

She felt that her eyes were threatening to water up and she bit her lip, doing her best to hold the tears away. If she started now, she wouldn't stop.

"I mean, I understand that Harry and Ginny had unsafe sex and that it resulted in a baby, but... Harry and I were so happy. Why did this have to happen?"

"Because life is cruel at times," George said with a deep sigh. "Why else would I have lost Fred?"

Hermione winced, realizing just how small her problem was compared to George's. He had lost his twin, his other half, forever. Harry was still alive. She could see or talk to him anytime she wanted.

"I'm not saying that it's harder for me than it is for you, Hermione," George said softly and took her hand in his. "Life and fate has been cruel to us both. We need to find a way to deal with the life we've been given, even if we think it's unfair."

"How did you learn to live without Fred?" Hermione wondered carefully, hoping that she wasn't crossing some line by asking such a personal question.

George grimaced, and in one big gulp he drained his glass.

"It took a long time until I managed," he said with a slight frown on his face. "Between you and me, I didn't even want to live for the first couple of months" – he paused when Hermione gasped – "but then I somehow realized that Fred would never forgive me if I let Weasley's Wizard Wheezes go under, so I... started living again, basically. How I did it? I don't know."

Hermione sighed and squeezed his hand.

"I never thought that I would sit down to have drinks with one of the Weasley Twins and discuss life," she said and gave him a grin. "They used to think they I was more trouble than I was worth."

George chuckled and squeezed her hand back.

"Nah, we didn't think you were that bad. In the end, you were part of the family – we always loved you like a sister, as we always loved Harry like a brother. Otherwise we wouldn't have given him the Marauder's Map."

Hermione smiled at that. After the shad taken a sip of wine, her expression grew solemn again.

"Have you seen Harry?"

George just nodded in answer, knowing that that wasn't the real question she wanted to be asking.

"How is he?"

"He looks a lot like you – tired and unhappy. The only time I've seen him smile was when he described to me what it was like to hear the baby's heartbeat."

Hermione couldn't help smiling at that and George gave her a searching look, obviously confused as to why she suddenly looked so happy.

"Harry has always wanted children – a big family," Hermione explained with a small shrug. "It sounds like he has become happy for the baby, which is good. No child should be born into this world unwanted by its parents. If he had stayed with me, this child probably would had gotten that fate."

George didn't say anything, but he shook his head as if he didn't agree with her.

"Hermione, can you tell me what happened that day? When Ginny came with her news?"

Hermione winced, and downed the last of her wine in one big gulp.

"If I must, but I'll need something to drink first," she answered and George whisked of to the bar without a second thought.

Thirty minutes later, Hermione was done with her tale – leaving no detail out, no emotion, no stray thought. George was quiet for some time, seemingly digesting everything she had said as fast as he could.

"So you think all of this happened because you said 'if I choose to stay with you'?" he finally wondered, seeking clarity.

Hermione dabbed her eyes with a tissue and sniffled one last time.

"That's when Harry told me to leave and he looked as if he never wanted to see me again. Of course it's my fault! I shouldn't have said that to him."

"Bollocks!" George growled, suddenly looked quite angry, a facial expression Hermione very seldom had seen on him before. "It's not as if he didn't think the same thing! You only managed to say it first. Of course you were questioning your future together – both of you – because that's natural when something like this happens. And I know for a fact that Ginny always would have tried to come between you – after all, she would have the upper hand. Harry Potter's firstborn child."

He took a deep breath and then sipped his drink. Hermione was still frozen in surprise at his outburst.

"Harry's biggest mistake was to make you leave. If he hadn't forced you out, you would have stayed, talked the whole day and probably would have come to some solution that would have worked for you both. But no, he forced you out of his home, out of his _life_ when the two of you were at the peaks of your anger and hurt. If you have to assign blame, Hermione, put it on Harry."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione returned to her quarters quite late that night, feeling exhausted and wired at the same time. Her talk with George had gone from serious to light as the evening progressed. George told her all of gossip he heard about in the store – Lavender Brown was, for instance, dating to blokes at the same time. Eventually he said that he was dating Angelina Johnson, and Hermione had admonished him for thinking that she would have been sad that he was finding love when she had lost hers.

A few minutes after she had entered her rooms, there was a knock on her door. Frowning, she wondered who it could be at this late hour. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw Severus.

"Do not ever leave the castle again without informing me first, Miss Granger," the Potions Master growled as he stalked into the room.

_Miss Granger? He really must be upset, _she mused, realizing that he hadn't called her that since her first week as his apprentice.

"I'm sorry, Severus," she said sincerely. "I didn't know you would worry."

Severus' eyes narrowed a fraction and he folded his arms across his chest.

"I do not worry about people, Miss Granger," he sneered, "because that would mean that I care about people. I needed your help tonight and I was unable to find you."

Hermione frowned. This was the snarky Potions Master that Severus Snape showed everyone else – not the gentle friend she had grown fond of in the past couple of weeks. She knew he had been worried tonight, no matter what he said, because she knew that he did care for her, in his own way. Had he worried so much that he felt that he would rather distance himself from her now, then ever have to worry about someone again?

"Don't lie to me, Severus," she said flatly and saw his back stiffen. "Don't pretend like you don't care about me, because I know you do – even if it's way deep down. I am sorry I didn't tell you, but I was afraid you wouldn't let me go and I _had_ to see George."

"Why?" he snapped. "Why on earth would you _have_ to see someone you are only acquainted with?"

Hermione sighed and she sat herself down in the nearest chair, suddenly feeling very tired.

"I am more than only acquainted with George. And I needed two things from him that you couldn't give me. One was a deeper insight about the people all of this concerns."

She paused when she noticed that he was sitting down on the couch.

"The other thing..."

How could she tell him this without sounding like a petulant child? He would think that she was being ridiculous!

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Hermione," she snapped and glared at him. "My name is Hermione. You've been calling me that for more than a month and I will not allow you to call me anything but Hermione."

Severus's eyes narrowed to slits.

"You will not allow me?" he repeated in a low hiss.

Hermione was not frightened by his tone.

"True, I cannot make you call me Hermione. But I can choose, and I will, not to respond whenever you call me 'Miss Granger'."

The room was silent for a moment after her declaration. Hermione watched the Potions Master closely and could tell that he was fighting back a smile.

"Very well, _Hermione_, what was the second thing you needed from George Weasley?"

"A hug," the young witch answered with a wince, waiting for the sneering to begin.

However, Severus's jaw dropped in surprise and for a long moment he simply stared at her. Hermione lowered her gaze to her hands and was thus caught unawares when Severus suddenly appeared at her feet, on his knees. She jumped, startled at him suddenly being so close. Their eyes met and Severus's eyes were questioning.

"A hug, Hermione? You needed George Weasley to give you a hug?"

She gently shook her head.

"I needed a hug from a friend. I... didn't think I would get one from you. You're not that keen on physical contact of any kind, I can imagine."

Severus looked taken aback.

"I never would have thought that you even would _want_ a hug from the dungeon bat, Hermione," he confessed softly.

"I like hugs, from anyone who gives them willingly," Hermione answered with a small smile. "And I have often felt lately that I need one..."

They looked at each other for a moment longer and then Severus got to his feet.

"I will not embrace you this time, Hermione, because I do not want you thinking that I am simply doing it because of what you have told me. However, I will remember your words. And when you do come to me and ask for a hug, I will give it to you willingly."

Hermione gave him a radiant smile and after a moment, he smiled back. He inclined his head, meaning "good night" and started for the door. Before he opened it, he turned his head back to Hermione, who was already watching him.

"You were right, Hermione. I did worry about you tonight," he admitted and chuckled when he saw her mouth drop. "Do not give me reason to worry about you again – I did not care for it."

Hermione let out a small laugh after he had closed the door. It was still baffling to her how much Severus Snape had changed in the time she had been at Hogwarts. She shook her head as she quickly undressed and then she crawled in under her covers. Not allowing herself to think about Harry, she fell asleep quickly.

_AN: Mjeh, maybe not what I would have wanted to read as a reader, but I hope you're not too disappointed. At least I've started writing and posting this story again... And it will pick up. I will only say this one more time – whatever happens in the future of this fic, it's still a Harry/Hermione story. It might take a while, but that's still what it is. _


	7. Graduation and dreadful news

**SPOILER WARNING! If you have don't have a problem with the roles Snape or Ginny have in this story, or any problems with the plot, skip the Author's Note! **

_AN: Okay, to all of you who really seem to hate Snape and find the idea of him together with Hermione repulsive – you can all stop saying how much you will hate me and my story if I pair them together. I'm not going to. Snape's role in this story is that of a friend or a father and it's thanks to him that Hermione and Harry actually get back together. _

_To those of you who were hoping for Snape and Hermione to actually have a fling, sorry if I'm crushing your hopes. I'm just so freaking tired of having to defend myself to these narrow-minded people. _

_And lastly, to all of those who are determined to hate Ginny and who are all hoping, almost demanding that she's either lying about being pregnant or that she must have slept around – Harry is without a doubt the father. I have this entire story figured out – the last four chapters are actually already written. If you don't like the way it's going after this chapter, even though I have repeatedly said that this is ultimately a Harry/Hermione story, please don't tell me. I already know the views of those who hate Ginny and Snape. This is my story, my plot and I will see this to the end as I have planned from the start. _

**Chapter Seven**

**Graduation and dreadful news**

Hermione stared her reflection in the gold-framed mirror that hung in the bathroom of her quarters at Hogwarts. She knew today was going to be hard. She knew today was going to be full of happiness and great hopes for the future, but not for her. No, definitely not for her. She knew today was going to be one of the worst days of her life.

Graduation day at Hogwarts was in most ways a day the students of the school looked forward to and anticipated with enthusiasm. When Hermione had graduated, her happiness had been mixed with sadness – Hogwarts had been her first home in the magical world and she was sad to be forced to leave it. Still, she had mainly felt thrilled to start a new chapter of her life. Today, however, she knew she would be the only one in the Great Hall that would be downright miserable. Ginny Weasley was graduating today, which meant that the entire Weasley clan would be in attendance, plus, most likely, Harry Potter – their more or less adopted son and father to the baby currently growing big, strong and beautiful inside Ginny's stomach. Since the redhead had started showing, Hermione had felt nauseous every time she saw the younger witch.

Severus had told her that she didn't have to go to the ceremony, but Hermione had dismissed the idea without hesitation. She didn't want anyone to think that she was weak. And a big part of her both wanted and needed to see Harry, but she didn't mention this to the Potions Master. Although, he probably suspected it anyway. She was grateful that he hadn't tried to force the truth out of her.

She was going to look good today. Perhaps it was childish, but she wanted Harry to see that she was doing okay without him. And in an even more childish way, she wanted Harry to see what he was missing. In other words, she had gone through great lengths to make herself beautiful. She had straightened her hair and pulled it into a tight ponytail, leaving a strand of hair free along her face to not make her look appear so severe. Then she had applied makeup to her face, with the result of a more simple version of how she had looked at the Auror Academy Ball.

As for clothes, she could have chosen to stay in her apprentice robes, but since she knew that all professors would be wearing dress robes, she chose a light summer dress instead – she wasn't a teacher anyway, and did not have to abide to their dress code for this day. She would be in background either way, so no one would pay her any attention. No one other than Harry. She felt quite certain that he would pay more attention to her than to the ceremony. The dress she wore was light pink, more white with a pink tint and was made in a sheer material that was flowing. It reminded her of the dress she wore to the ball, but while that had been a dress for formal occasions, this was just a simple summer dress. It came down to her knees and gave her quite some cleavage without looking slutty (or so she hoped).

She heard a knock on the door – no doubt Severus had come to escort her to the Great Hall. She stole one last glance at herself in the mirror and she went to the door, grabbing the matching cardigan to the dress on her way. Severus started when he saw her.

"You don't want people to think you are weak?" he said with an amused tone, his eyes going up and down the length of her body, rolling his eyes. "I knew you simply wanted Mr Potter to suffer."

Hermione winced, but didn't contradict him. What was the point?

"So I look alright?" she wondered, her nerves getting the better of her.

Severus raised an eyebrow. He looked her over once more, and this time he noticed that she was wearing high-heeled sandals – no wonder she appeared to be taller than usual.

"Alright?" he finally scoffed. "Hermione, Mr Potter will not be able to keep his eyes away from you. Along with many other hot-headed men, I imagine."

Hermione bit her lip and glanced down at her body.

"Is it too much?" she wondered and then almost fell over when Severus pulled her out of the room.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, stop this! Take a compliment as it is, and don't twist it into an excuse for you to change your clothes. Are you going to put that cardigan on?"

Hermione simply nodded, to stunned at his words to be able to form a coherent answer.

"Then do it so that we can go."

She did as she was told, her mind screaming _Severus Snape just admitted that he gave me a compliment! Is the world coming to an end?_ They walked side by side along the corridor of the dungeons. It was quiet, as it usually was in this part of Hogwarts, but as they gradually got closer to the more inhabited areas of the castle, Hermione could hear that most of the student body and guests to the graduates already were in the Great Hall. Before they rounded the corner that would lead them to the entrance of the Hall, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. She inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes, a whooshing sensation of nervousness suddenly coming over her.

"You can do this, Hermione," she heard Severus say and a moment later he had both hands on her shoulders.

Her eyes snapped open and she found herself staring into the black orbs of Severus Snape.

"You can do this."

His reassuring tone and intense stare made her realize that she _could_ to this. She released the air from her lungs and Snape dropped his hands from her shoulders. As they started walking again, she fiddled with the buttons of her cardigan.

"Leave it open."

Hermione's hands froze and once again she stopped in her tracks, shocked and astounded at what the Potions Master just had said. He gave her a mischievous grin and winked at her. Hermione thought by now that she must be going crazy. Severus Snape had within five minutes complimented her and winked at her.

"I think it's only fair that Mr Potter suffers a bit as well. Wouldn't you agree? Why wear such a dress if not to show of your assets?"

Hermione's jaw dropped. Had he just made a comment referring to her breasts?

"Close your mouth, Hermione. Although I would never pursue you, I cannot ignore everything that is right in front of me," he said as his gaze swept over the Hall. "Now seriously, Hermione, close your mouth. We need to enter the Hall and we cannot have you looking like a fish."

He chuckled when she had some trouble clamping her mouth shut. Then, taking her arm, they strode in to the already full Hall, side by side. Murmurs broke out as they made their way down the aisle of chairs – if they were murmuring about her dress or the fact that her arm was resting on the greasy Potions Master's arm, she didn't know. Nor did she care.

"Do _not_ look now," Severus murmured so softly that only she could hear him, "but Mr Potter and the entire clan of over-populated Weasley's" – Hermione snorted a laugh at that – "are on the right side of the aisle, third row. He's staring at you."

Hermione's cheeks reddened a bit, but she managed not to look over at that direction. It took all of her willpower, and then some, not to try to locate Harry through the hundreds of people in the room. When Hermione took her seat diagonally behind Severus, she kept her eyes focused on her hands until the moment when Headmistress McGonagall welcomed everyone to the Graduation Ceremony. Not until then did she lift her gaze and, like a magnet, her eyes instantly locked with Harry's. She had some trouble deciphering his expression – he seemed to be happy, relieved, angry, sad and annoyed, all in one go. Was he feeling all of that, or was she just out of sync with reading his moods?

The ceremony went by in a daze for Hermione. She only had eyes for Harry, and it appeared that he only had eyes for her as well. She didn't see him glance away from her once – at least not until Ron nudged him in the side, breaking the connection. Hermione was back in the real world, where Ginny just had gotten her Hogwarts diploma. Harry was now clapping his hands dutifully, his eyes on Ginny and a fake smile firmly in place over his features. The rest of the ceremony, Hermione's gaze was firmly glued to her hands, which were folded together on her lap. She closed her eyes, desperately wanting this ceremony and this day to end.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione didn't understand. She thought she had hid well enough for him _not_ to find her. All this time she had thought that she had wanted to see him, wanted to talk to him. But after their intense staring match during the ceremony, Hermione realized that coming closer to him than she had been then, actually talking to him... would make everything ten times worse. So she had stepped outside, taken refuge by the fountain on the courtyard, thinking that the Weasley's wouldn't allow him to stray away from their daughters side. And yet, here he was, standing no less than ten feet away from her, his hands in his pockets. He didn't smile and neither did she. They just stared at each other, much like they had done in the Great Hall.

"Hi, Hermione," Harry finally said and took a few steps closer to her. "How are you?"

How was she? Good question. How... was... she...? She mulled the question over in her mind for a few moments before she realized that she had no idea how to answer that. Sitting down on the ledge of the fountain, she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Oh, I'm thriving, can't you tell?" she bit out as she gestured around her. "I love my job. Professor Snape is nice to me. And I'm back at Hogwarts. What more could I want?"

Harry winced, but she took no pleasure in his obvious pain. How could she, when she shared it? She regretted her sarcastic reply, but it was too late now.

"I'm sorry I haven't written to you," Harry mumbled as he shuffled his feet, looking down at the stone surface beneath his feet.

Hermione sighed and then she patted the ledge, inviting him to sit down next to her. He did, but only after he hesitated for a second or so.

"Don't be," she replied sadly once he was sitting beside her. "I haven't written to you either."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them struggling to find something to say.

"How long are you here for?" Harry wondered out of the blue as he turned his head slightly to be able to look into her eyes.

"I'm here a total of two years," she answered, not quite sure how she felt about the two of them making small talk, so instead she decided to be more direct. "Harry... I'm sorry for what I said that day."

He didn't need to ask what she was referring to. _If I choose to be with you_, was the one phrase that haunted them both.

"I know you are," he said softly, "but it doesn't change anything, does it?"

They stared into each others eyes for a long time. No, it didn't change anything – Ginny was still pregnant. Hermione and Harry wouldn't be happy together as long as Ginny had such a central part of Harry's life.

"Hermione, I need to tell you something, and you're not going to like it. Hell, I don't like it. But I want to do the right thing when it comes to Ginny – she's so young and by getting her pregnant I might have ruined some parts of her future, so..."

"Harry, that's idiotic," Hermione interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "It takes two people to get pregnant and somehow I cannot imagine it being your fault. And in what ways have you ruined her future? She will undoubtedly be basking in the fame of being the mother of Harry Potter's child."

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and Harry winced when he noticed how much of Snape he heard in her tone. She had only been here for three months – had the dungeon bat influenced her so much already?

"Perhaps," Harry just said and then inhaled deeply. "I admit that I am more concerned about my child than I am about Ginny. And for that reason, I've decided to ask her to marry me."

Hermione flinched, coming quickly to her feet and took a few stumbling steps away from him.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, hoping that she had heard him wrong.

Harry stood from the ledge as well and made his way over to her – she looked ready to faint and he wanted to be close enough to be able to catch her if that were the case.

"I don't want my firstborn child to be a bastard. I want him or her to be protected in legal aspects and I want the child to carry my name."

"You don't have to marry her in order to assure those things!" Hermione yelled as she started making her way back towards the Great Hall.

She had to get away from him, she couldn't deal with this right now.

"Maybe not," Harry said as he struggled to keep up with her, "but like I said – I don't want my child to be born a bastard."

Hermione twirled around on the spot and Harry almost collided with her.

"What does it matter, when the child's father so clearly is?" she hissed and Harry's eyes widened.

"Hermione...," he said as he tried to grab her arms in a way to comfort her.

"NO!" she roared and violently batted his hands away from her. "You don't get to comfort me! Not this time!"

They shared another staring match – Harry's gaze was pleading, while Hermione's was absolutely furious. As they stood there, they were joined by a the Weasley's.

"Harry, there you are," came Molly Weasley's voice from behind Hermione. "We thought..."

Once Molly realized who Harry was talking to, she stopped mid sentence. She offered no greeting to Hermione, but the younger witch didn't care. There were too many emotions swirling around in her entire being – anger, frustration, pain, sadness, confusion... She had never felt such a stream of depressing emotions and it was overwhelming.

"Hermione, please try to understand," Harry said quietly, pleading with her to see that he was doing the right thing.

Hermione's eyes started filling with tears and she noticed the sudden look of pain in Harry's eyes.

"I can't understand, Harry – it's supposed – it's supposed to be _me_," she choked out as a flood of tears started falling down her cheeks. "I – can't – understand."

She felt an arm circle around her shoulders and saw Severus from the corner of her eyes. She closed her eyes in relief, suddenly remembering that she wasn't completely alone as she buried herself into his embrace. He started pulling her away from the courtyard, away from Harry and the Weasley's, and Hermione did nothing to stop him. The shuffling of feet she heard when she no longer was standing in the way, told her that the Weasley's were now surrounding Harry – most likely demanding to know what had just happened. Severus suddenly stopped and nudged Hermione slightly. She lifted her head with some effort and her eyes locked with George's. He was concerned, she could tell, and would have made his way over to her if she hadn't cast a wandless _protego, _thus effectively making sure that he couldn't come any closer. She did this for two reasons – one, she didn't want to cause a rift between George and his family, and two, she just really, really wanted to be alone. They looked at each other for a moment and then George made a movement with his hand, as if writing a letter, and Hermione understood this as a promise that he would continue writing to her.

"Severus," she whispered pleadingly, "take me away from here."

He swiftly led her back down to her rooms in the dungeons, not asking any questions nor saying anything what so over on the way. He placed her on the couch and then called for a house-elf, asking for a cup of chamomile tea. Hermione was in the process of having some trouble breathing, her breaths coming and going in short gasps. The next moment, she had her hand on her chest, as if she was in pain.

"Se-ver-us?" she managed to get out in between her gasping, a look of fear in her eyes.

Severus, recognizing the symptoms of a panic attack, strode over to her, leaned down and heaved her back on her feet. He thrust her arms straight up into the air, hoping that it would help to lead air into her lungs, and then held them there.

"Calm down, Hermione," he murmured softly, gazing steadily into her eyes. "You need to control your breathing, or you are going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. You're having a panic attack – now calm down and focus on breathing. In and out, slowly."

Hermione clamped her eyes shut as she did all in her power to quench the attack. After a moment or two, she managed to take control of the gasps, making them longer and deeper. Severus let her go and then she doubled over, clutching her stomach. She felt nauseous and exhausted. She sat down on the couch again and Severus handed her the cup of chamomile tea, hoping that the herb would help calm her nerves. If not, he would have to get her a Calming Draught.

"What did he say to you?" Severus asked carefully a few minutes later, terrified of the seemingly hollow look in her eyes.

Hermione blinked heavily, staring at the fire Severus had started with an empty expression.

"He's going to ask Ginny to marry him so that his child won't be a bastard," she answered tonelessly.

Severus sighed, not at all surprised. Ever since he had found out that Ginny Weasley was carrying the child of Harry Potter, he had expected this to happen. It wasn't as if _noble_ Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world, had any other choice. Severus found himself being immensely grateful that Ginny Weasley had graduated and would not be coming back to Hogwarts. Now all he had to do was to find some way to get rid of that haunted, empty, _dead_ look in Hermione eyes.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry stood on the porch outside the Burrow, staring out over the green fields, his mind racing. When had his life turned so terribly wrong? Would he ever get the things _he_ wanted, for himself? He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, frustrated at himself and at the world. Hermione crept into his thoughts and his eyes flew open with a pained gasp when he recalled the look in her eyes. How could he have told her so bluntly? He should have shown more tact, but then again, that was a trait he had never been able to master.

He had asked Ginny to marry him not fifteen minutes ago, and the women of the family had immediately started planning – the wedding had to, of course, take place as soon as possible. Fleur had promised Ginny and Molly to help in any way she could. By the time they were talking about flower arrangements, Harry had sneaked out of the room, being able to guess that no one would notice his absence.

"So it's out here you're hiding."

Harry snapped his head to the left and he saw George coming towards him slowly.

"I'm not hiding," Harry replied in a defensive sort of way. "I'm just taking some air and clearing my mind."

George just nodded and then held out his hand towards the younger wizard.

"I've seen you as a part of this family for many years, but I guess I should still say if officially – welcome to the family."

Harry gave him a tiny smile and shook George's hand.

"Thank you George. That means a lot to me," he replied as he turned his gaze back to the open fields.

"I just have one question, Harry," the read head said, waiting to continue until the younger man turned to look at him again. "Is this really what you want?"

Harry stared into George's searching eyes for a long time, getting lost in the seriousness of the question and the expression on the older man's face. Finally, he blinked and shook his head slightly to clear his head as best as he could.

"Of course it isn't," Harry answered after a moment, his tone sorrowful. "I want to do what's right for this situation and I believe I'm doing that."

George nodded, looking as if he had expected that answer.

"Even if it means that you sacrifice your own happiness? Hermione's happiness?"

Harry swallowed with some difficulty as the memory of meeting Hermione earlier that day danced before his eyes. The look she had given him was something he would never forget.

"Yes," he whispered, and then let out an anguished moan.

George sighed and then clapped Harry heavily on the shoulder.

"You are better man than I'll ever be, Harry," he said with conviction. "I don't think I would find the strength to _not_ be with the person I love, even if it was the right thing to do. I'm not sure you're doing the right thing in this case, but then again, it's hard for me to put myself in your shoes."

Harry didn't say anything. He just continued staring out over the fields, wishing that he could disappear in the high grass.

"By the way, Harry, what's up with you and Ron? I can't help noticing that you barely talk anymore."

Harry sighed and refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Ron was jealous of my relationship with Hermione and was gleeful when we broke up. I didn't have the energy to try to make him feel better, and since he's the way he is, he has shown no remorse. Now, we barely acknowledge each other. I feel like I'm losing everyone."

George patted him on the back and then gave him a small grin.

"Well, you'll always have me."

Harry let out a small laugh, looking happy for the first time that day, even if the laugh died away quickly. He found himself being immensely grateful to George and actually found that the redhead's words had made him feel slightly better.

"Thank you," Harry said and gave him a genuine smile. "You have no idea how much that means."

George returned the smile with a grin and then the two wizards stood on the porch, staring out over the open, green fields, in complete silence.

_To be continued..._

AN: I've had this chapter ready for two weeks, but I've been kind of afraid about posting it... This is is the last time I will say it – this will end up a Harry/Hermione story, but it might take some time. Bare with me and this story.


	8. Wedding invitation and its consequences

Chapter Eight

Wedding invitation and its consequences

Hermione's hands shook when she opened the letter, knowing full well that such a heavyweight paper with such an elegant, cursive writing could only contain one thing.

_You are cordially invited to witness and celebrate the bonding of _

_Ginevra Molly Weasley and Harry James Potter_

_on Saturday the Tenth of June at four o'clock at the Burrow._

_Please RSVP as soon as possible._

Underneath the formal wedding invitation was a handwritten note to her in Harry's familiar penmanship: _Hermione, please come. I need you there, even though you probably hate me for sending you this. Please. _It was short and straight to the point and the next moment Hermione found herself tearing up the invitation into small pieces. Severus pulled his attention away from the _Daily Prophet_ as he heard the sound of paper been ripped, and he raised an eyebrow when he noticed what his apprentice was doing.

"Hermione, what on earth are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Hermione answered sweetly and the next moment she whipped her wand out – a tenth of a second later, the pile of shredded paper was burning.

Severus watched the pile turn into ashes, his eyes shifting back and fourth between the flames and Hermione's expression. She had a satisfied smirk plastered on her face, but her eyes were sad. She vanished the ashes with a flick of her wand and then she turned back to her toast.

"Hermione," he said warningly, "tell me what just happened or so help me..."

"Fine, fine," Hermione muttered and shoved the plate away from her, having quite suddenly lost her appetite. "If you must know, that was a wedding invitation with a personalized message from the groom. I find it needless to say whom it was from."

Severus glanced back at the spot where the tiny pieces of paper had been just a few seconds before.

"I take it you are not planning on going?"

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You're damn right I'm not going. He has some nerve sending me an invitation."

Severus wisely chose not to comment, but still couldn't help wondering when the wedding was.

"In a week," was Hermione's short answer. "Do you need me to go looking for hellebore today?"

Graduation had been a week ago, and since the students had left, Hermione loved Hogwarts more than ever. It was quiet and she was free to wander the halls and corridors without being interrupted by anyone. Half of the staff had gone to their various homes, while some, like Severus, stayed at the school most of the summer. The Potions Master usually spent his days working on restocking the infirmary with medicinal potions, but allowed himself to spend his evenings working on his own private research. Now that he had Hermione, he actually took one day off to just do something else – reading a book, going to Hogsmeade or just strolling around the grounds and the Forbidden Forest. Hermione had no problem with running his errands, because the more she had to do, the less she thought about Harry.

Hermione worked on autopilot for the rest of the week, doing her chores and working on potions without giving anything much thought. On Friday, the day before the wedding, Hermione woke up feeling like a bloody mess. She tore herself from bed, showered until she looked like a raisin and then met up with Severus for breakfast.

"Did you sleep at all, Hermione?" Severus demanded in greeting as she sat down. "You look as if you haven't slept for a week."

"Good morning to you too," Hermione muttered and rolled her eyes. "You look great this morning as well."

Severus narrowed his eyes and quickly grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"Hermione, we might have become friends of sorts in the past couple of months, but I will not tolerate your attitude towards me any longer," he snapped, his tone dangerously low as the demeanor of the snarky Potions Master suddenly came in place. "I have permitted it since I have seen how much you are hurting, but you are my apprentice and you will treat me with respect. Do you understand?"

Hermione swallowed thickly, not fearing him in the slightest – she was simply ashamed, knowing full well that she had not treated him very nicely the past week. She nodded weakly and forced herself to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I really am."

He gazed at her for a moment longer and then with a nod he let go of her wrist. They ate in silence for a few moments. Then Hermione asked him what he had planned for her to do today.

"I need you to start on the Draught of Living Peace," Severus answered without looking up from the Daily Prophet. "And then I need you to look for Hellebore out in the Forbidden Forest."

Hermione looked up in surprise.

"You want me to go out there alone?"

She saw him roll his eyes and then he glanced at her for a moment.

"You do realize that there is nothing in the Forest that is actually dangerous if you go in the middle of the day? Especially now that the war is over. Besides, it's mainly only the first, second and third years that cannot handle the creatures residing in the Forest."

"What about the Acromantulas?" she demanded, remembering how much trouble Ron and Harry had experienced with the giant spiders.

Snape snorted and actually put the paper down.

"First of all, if a student is stupid enough to get that far into the Forest, perhaps they deserve what's coming. _Second of all_," – he had to raise his voice a bit to stop Hermine from interrupting with an indignant protest – "tell me, what year where your friends in when they encountered the Acromantulas?"

Hermione's mouth opened and closed a few times.

"They were second years," she answered feebly.

"Right you are. Also, you being Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of your age, should reduce any danger you might encounter in the Forest. And it might sooth you to know that the Acromantulas have been moved to another location."

Hermione inhaled deeply – that did actually make her feel better. Like Ron, she had no love of spiders. She tried pushing her prejudice about the Forbidden Forest away from her mind. It was easier said then done, but she was a Gryffindor for crying out loud! She would not be afraid of the Forest if it really wasn't as dangerous as she had been told over the years.

"Fine, I'll do it. Will one basket of flowers be enough?"

"Yes, and then I order you to take the night off. Go see Mr Weasley or Miss Lovegood. I want you out of the Castle and I want you to do something fun."

Hermione scowled at that, but refrained from flat out refusing – Severus would not change his mind, because she knew that he wouldn't order her to do something like that unless he had thought it over. However, she was really not up for the company of George or Luna, even though she now considered them to be her best friends.

"Can't I just buy you dinner in Hogsmeade, Severus? I don't feel like spending time with anyone else at the moment."

Snape scoffed and shook his head.

"Hermione, I am more or less the only company you've had in the past two weeks. So no – go meet your friends."

Hermione grumbled out a "fine" and then shot from the chair, heading towards the potions lab. She worked quickly and efficiently on the potion until the she came to the point where it had to simmer for three days. After getting a general idea of where to find Hellebore in the Forest from Severus, Hermione strode off without further delay. As it turned out, she really didn't need to wander very far in. There was plenty of hellebore growing a few hundred yards from the edge of the Forest.

She was ready by four o'clock and she let out a sigh. Perhaps she shouldn't have worked quite so efficiently – what on earth was she supposed to do the rest of the day? She went to her quarters and she called Dobby, asking him to bring her something simple to eat. While Dobby disappeared off to the kitchen, Hermione took a long shower to get the dirt under her fingernails off. When Dobby came back with a rich tomato and chicken soup, her stomach growled loudly as she scent reached her nostrils. She devoured the food and then settled into her favorite chair with a book. Severus had ordered her out of the Castle for the night – he hadn't specified at what time, so she would not leave any earlier than she had to.

A little over two hours later, Dobby popped in and announced that a letter had come for her. Hermione frowned, but thanked him gently before breaking the seal to the small piece of paper.

_Hermione, I've understood from your silence that you are angry with me for sending you an invitation to my wedding. I understand how you must feel and I know that I'm being selfish, but I'm going to ask you one last time – please come._

Hermione read Harry's note three times before she crumbled it into a ball in her fist and then hurled it at the crackling fire. At least he was right about one thing – Harry Potter was spot on when it came to the fact that he was being incredibly selfish by pleading with her to come see him marry another woman. How could he possibly think that she would have the strength and the courage to do that? She glanced at the clock – it was a little after seven. He came home from Auror School for the weekend an hour ago, and he would have already had both a shower and dinner. She flew up from the chair and grabbed the first set of clothes she could find, changing out of the bathrobe into a tank top and shorts. She then strode off to the potions lab where she knew Severus would be pouring over the notes of his research of the Wolfsbane Potion.

"I'm off, Severus," she announced the moment she banged the door opened. "I'll be late – don't worry about me."

Severus eyes snapped up to meet hers, and he wasn't sure if he should be worried about the fiery look the brown orbs contained.

"Has something happened, Hermione?" he wondered, almost managing to hide his concern.

Her expression softened and she touched his shoulder.

"No, of course not," she answered, forcing her voice to sound reassuring. "I'm just eager to leave the school – see something else, you know."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Since when?" he demanded, remembering her words from this morning.

"Since George told me about the new hot club that just opened in Diagon Alley a few days ago," she replied with ease, having already formulated an answer to that question before she came to the lab.

Severus' eyes shot up in surprise as he glanced up and down her body. Jeans shorts, a pink tank top and high-heeled shoes. This is what young people wore when they went out dancing these days? Hermione read the question in his eyes.

"Severus, do you have any idea how hot it is outside? I'm probably wearing a _lot of_ clothes compared to a lot of other women."

Severus hastily turned back towards his notes – he did not need for her to see that he was blushing. At least he knew now _not _to go to any hot, new clubs.

"Have fun then, Hermione. Give my regards to George."

She said goodbye and inhaled deeply as she made her way down the corridors. She hated lying to him, but she couldn't exactly say that she was planning on going to Harry and give him an earful about what a selfish bastard he was being. Her heels clicked along the stone floors as she swiftly walked through the Castle and out to the path that led down to the gates of Hogwarts. As soon as she was clear, she spun on her heel and apparated to the apartment building where she had lived with Harry only three months ago. She looked up at the window in the room she knew to be his bedroom and then she took a deep breath as she contemplated one last time if she was doing the right thing. When his last note danced before her eyes in memory, she made up her mind and quickly climbed the stairs to the apartment on the top floor. She knocked on the door and then put her hands on her hips as she waited – the moment the door opened, she flew at Harry, hitting him in fury.

"Selfish... stupid... selfish... bastard!" she ground out in between punches, noticing the shocked look on his face, choosing to ignore it. "How DARE you?"

Harry finally got over his astonishment and found the wits to grab a hold of her arms. His training made him without a doubt a lot stronger than her, and once he had her arms in a firm grip, she had absolutely no chance of getting free. She continued to struggle, but it was fruitless.

"Let go of me," she growled in frustration, her eyes glowering.

"So you can start punching me again?" he demanded, his voice gentle. "I don't think so, Hermione."

She glared at him and relaxed her stiff posture, hoping that he would see this as a sign that she had calmed down. He gave her a searching look and then let her go. The second her arms were free, she started punching him again.

"Aaaw, come on, Hermione! Don't force me to put you in a body-bind!" Harry yelled at her, pinning her arms to her body once again.

"How could you send me that invitation, Harry?" she demanded, her harsh tone a strange contrast to the sadness in her eyes. "How could you think that I _ever_ could see you marry someone else?"

Harry sighed deeply and let her go, instinctively knowing that she wouldn't try to hurt him anymore. His gaze dropped to the floor, not wanting to see the look of hurt and sadness in her eyes anymore.

"I just felt like I have to have you there," he mumbled quietly, taking a few steps back from her.

"No matter how it would make me feel?" she wondered as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Their eyes locked for a moment and then Harry gave a slight nod. Hermione closed her eyes and bowed her head for a second, trying to compose herself.

"Do you have any idea how selfish that is?" she asked finally, looking up at him again.

He winced and then nodded again.

"Believe me, Hermione, I know exactly how selfish I'm being. I just... need you there. I can't get married without my best friend there."

"Well then, I guess you're not getting married tomorrow," Hermione quipped and the next second she felt the need to get out of his apartment, out of his presence. "There's no way I'm going to that farce and you can't make me."

She spun on her heel, racing towards the door, but Harry was faster. He caught her around her waist and then he held her firmly against his body.

"You're right that I can't make you," Harry whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her gently. "But I can ask you, plead with you. I can ask you to overlook your feelings for one day."

Hermione closed her eyes, relishing in the way it felt to be held like this by him. She missed him so much...

"And I can do the same thing, Harry," she answered quietly. "In one way or the other, one of us is going to end up disappointing the other. You say you need me there. I say I can't be there. We're both selfish."

Neither of them knew how long they stood like that, with Harry's arms around her, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine every time he exhaled against her ear. Soon Hermione started getting very aware of how perfectly molded she was against his body – she could feel everything from his heartbeat to... something that was hardening against her bum. She closed her eyes, biting her lip in order to stop herself from pushing herself even closer towards him.

"Harry, let me go," she murmured softly, as she tried prying open his firm grip around her.

This only made his grip harder.

"No."

She heard something in his voice that made her realize that he was enjoying the closeness as much as she was. She should have been able to guess that already, but she didn't exactly have a lot of experience with boys and she had first thought that maybe men couldn't control themselves very well when they had a woman pressed so tightly against themselves – perhaps Harry's reaction had been more automatic then anything else. But now she heard it in his tone, in that short, one syllable word, that he would not let her go willingly. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but she knew that was an impossible dream. She had to leave before something happened that they might regret later.

"You have to let me go, Harry."

"I won't let you go without a fight this time, Hermione. Merlin only knows when I'll see you again."

Well, he had a point. Wouldn't it be incredibly stupid of her not to just enjoy this moment with the person she loved more than anyone else? The longer they stood like this, the harder it was for Hermione to think rationally. Before she knew it, the most irrational thoughts seemed quite rational to her. She lifted her hands up to rest on his arms and without thinking about it, her head lulled back on to his shoulder. She ground her hips in a circular motion and Harry let out a gasp of surprise.

"Don't do that, just holding you is hard enough as it is," he whimpered, as he slowly started backing towards the couch, his grip on Hermione as firm as ever.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at that, loving the fact that she had the same effect on him as he did on her.

"Oh, but you want me to do it," she whispered as she repeated the motion, not sparing a thought to rationalize what she was doing – all she knew at the moment, all she could think of right now, was the fact that she wanted this.

Wanted him.

Harry let out a throaty moan that sent shivers straight down to her core and when she did it again, his arms let go of her waist to have his hands land on her hips. As she pushed against him once again, he used his hands to keep her in place. They reached the couch and as he sat down, he pulled her down with him, so that she was sitting in between his legs, her back firmly pressed against his chest. He bent down and placed small, soft kisses along her neck and down to her shoulder. Every kiss made her shiver, made it a little harder to think clearly. Her breath hitched when she felt Harry cup her breasts and she let out a wild gasp when he gently starting kneading them. Somewhere deep down she knew that they shouldn't be doing this, but she was beyond logical thinking. She let her senses and instincts take over, not at all caring about feeling guilty or if this would have consequences. She turned her head so that they came face to face and Harry's mouth gently captured hers in a kiss that left her breathless.

Harry wasn't thinking clearly, he could barely think straight. All he knew was that he _had_ to do this, he had to take this opportunity to be with her, no matter what that might entail. He kissed her hungrily, relishing in the feelings that were awakening within him again. He hadn't felt even remotely aroused since things had ended between them, and now, all it taken was for him to feel her body molded against his own.

Hermione twisted her torso so that most of her body was turned towards Harry. She circled her arms around his neck and pulled him closer while Harry wrapped his own around her back. Slowly he pushed her back down on the couch and he followed her willingly, their intense kissing never coming to a pause. Harry finally broke away and he gave her a questioning look, as if asking if what they were doing was something she wanted. She simply smiled at him and nodded before she brought him back down to her lips, their tongues connecting as they both started pulling at each others clothes. They needed to feel more of the other, feel skin on skin and soon all their clothes, except their underwear, lay in a heap on the floor. Harry. The next moment, Harry gently lifted Hermione up from the couch and carried her to his bedroom. He kicked the door shut with his heel, effectively giving them the privacy they both craved, shutting out the outside world with a simple kick.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione woke up with a start, immediately wondering where she was. It was nearly pitch black in the room, meaning it must be more or less in the middle of the night. She inhaled deeply and just like that her memory caught up with her – the soap Harry used in the shower had a very distinctive smell – and everything came back to her like a sledgehammer had knocked her out cold.

She had lost her virginity.

Sure, she had lost it to the man she had hoped to lose it to, but the circumstances could have been better. Substantially better. They should have been together as a couple, to start with, and not have spent the last three months without talking to each other. Harry should not be on the verge of marrying another woman, either.

Oh. My. God.

Harry was getting married – tomorrow. What on earth had she been thinking? Harry was getting married to Ginny Weasley tomorrow because she was pregnant with his child. Had she completely lost her mind? Hermione Granger was a girl who relied on reason and logic – not instincts that made her sleep with someone who was clearly not eligible to her. She had never, ever lost control of herself like this before and she was deeply ashamed of herself. She should have known better. But when Harry had held her, she could remember feeling as she deserved to be with him once – after all, she should have spent the rest of her life with him. And now she gotten one night with him. Would it be enough to last a lifetime?

She knew that she couldn't stay here until morning. If they woke up together, there was a big chance that the nights events would repeat itself and then she have an even harder time letting him go. She wasn't even sure if she could bare to hear him say that he was going to marry Ginny anyway, despite what had happened between them and the love they clearly still had for each other. And she knew that he would marry her – he wouldn't be the man she loved so much if he didn't. He would do the right thing by Ginny and she would have to come to terms with it, somehow.

Her eyes were getting used to darkness and soon she could see the outline of a nightstand next to the bed. There was a notepad and a ballpoint pen on and Hermione hesitated for a moment before she decided to write Harry a short note – it felt downright rude and mean if she left without saying anything at all. Once she had scribbled her note, she carefully and silently slipped out of Harry's bed and searched the floor with her hand for her panties and bra. The door thankfully didn't creek as she opened it and she crept out, closing the door carefully again. She quickly pulled her clothes on and she hurried out of the apartment, apparating straight to Hogwarts as soon as she was out on the street. Instead of going to her quarters, she walked down to the lake. The sun was rising in the east and she decided to sit and contemplate the newest turn of her life as she watched the sun rise on the day she knew would hate forever.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry woke the next morning feeling content and happy for the first time in the three months. Suddenly his life made sense and he could see everything clearly. He couldn't marry Ginny. After last night he knew that it was impossible. The love he felt for and shared with Hermione was too powerful – he would be miserable with anyone that wasn't Hermione, a fact he had known before he had asked Ginny to marry him, but he had overlooked it simply for the sake of his unborn child. They would have to figure something else out for the baby, because if, God willing, Hermione could find it in her heart to forgive him and take him back, he would cancel the wedding without a second thought. He turned around to greet Hermione good morning and share his thoughts with her.

She wasn't there.

Harry frowned as he watched the empty space, wondering if she had perhaps gone to bathroom. Then he saw a piece of paper on the pillow Hermione had slept on, and his frowned deepened. It was in Hermione's handwriting. A sense of foreboding took over him and his hand trembled slightly as he reached for it.

_Harry, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have done this – it was a wonderful mistake we'll both have to live with it. I take with me the memories of the best night of my life and wish you all the luck in the world for today. _

Harry could barely understand what he was reading and before he even got a chance to process the information, the door to his room burst open and in came all the Weasley brothers along with Neville Longbottom. They were all looking happy and shouting at him to get his lazy ass out of bed – this was his wedding day and they were here to get him ready!

"Come on, Harry, get out of bed, we don't have all the time in the world to try to get your hair to lie straight," Charlie joked and tussled Harry's hair as if he was one of the brothers himself, something that normally would have brought a smile to his face.

But he was dazed, he could barely register what was going on. For the first time of his life, he couldn't tell the Weasley brothers apart. All he saw red hair and smiling faces, the rest of their features were blurred, which also happened to be a perfect image of his mind.

"I have his dressrobes – who has his shoes?" Harry heard Neville say, because at the moment Bill was standing in front of him with a comb, trying to get his hair to stay flat on his head.

"Shoes are right here!" Ron called, sounding much to cheery for Harry's liking.

He was sure that the reason for Ron's good mood was that he was marrying his sister today, which meant that Harry and Hermione were over and done with for good. Maybe Ron would try to pursue her again, thinking that Hermione would need a shoulder to cry on and thus be an easy prey.

"Harry, mate, are you okay?" George suddenly asked, being the only one who might actually pick up on the fact that he was anything but fine. "You look a little green."

"Of course he's a little green!" Bill said with a laugh. "He's getting married today – he's nervous!"

What? No, he wasn't nervous. How was it that all the Weasley's thought that he was getting happily married to woman he loved? Had they all forgotten the events of the last six months? How could they so blissfully ignore the fact that he was in love with Hermione Granger and the wedding taking place today was only a necessity? No, he wasn't nervous. He was just beginning to realize that Hermione didn't want to work things out – that she couldn't forgive him. She didn't love him anymore and now he had lost her forever.

He let the Weasley's and Neville help him get dressed, which proved to be easier said than done since they didn't get any help from Harry himself. He just sat there, staring off into space. This would be the rest of his life then. The Weasley's would pull and force him through everything, like a puppet on a string. Perhaps he deserved it. He hadn't treated Hermione with the respect she deserved and now, since he had realized this all too late, it had come back to bite him in the ass.

_AN: Mjeh. I really don't know if I like the way this chapter turned out. This is the first chapter I've struggled with for this story, and I struggled a lot – rewritten whole passages, deleted things that didn't seem quite write and sometimes just stared at the screen for days at end, having absolutely no idea how to get the plot down on paper. Oh well, from here on forth it should get easier. Please review! =)_


	9. A devastating loss and a surprising gift

Chapter Nine  
A devastating loss and a surprising gift

"Ginny, have you lost your bloody mind?" Harry bellowed angrily as he saw his wife straddle a broom to join the game of Quidditch he was currently in the middle of with her brothers.

The family along with some friends had come together at the Burrow to celebrate Ginny's nineteenth birthday. They had spent most of the day eating of Molly Weasley's delicious cooking and Harry had also taken the time to talk to the friends he hadn't seen since his wedding. That day had been a daze for him and now, more or less exactly two months later, he had no memories of that day save for the intense feelings of hurt and abandonment he had felt when he had woken without Hermione next to him. He hated gatherings like these, because they were just another obvious reminder that his best friend was not with them. He had heard nothing from her and he had not contacted her. Was this to be the rest of their lives?

Ginny was now seven months pregnant and even Harry had to admit that she looked quite radiant. Pregnancy suited her very well. He had always scoffed at the idea that women got this glow when they were with child, but he would be forced to agree with the notion anyway. Ginny had never been so beautiful... But they were still only married in name. Not once since the wedding had they been intimate with each other. Ginny had tried, of course, to get him aroused on many different occasions. But Harry had never been in the mood and he always ignored the look of pain in Ginny's eyes when he told her that he didn't feel like having sex.

And now, she was about to join the Quidditch game, a sport that was dangerous in its own right – putting in a pregnant girl in a game in the Quidditch leagues was against the rules for a reason. Had the pregnancy made her absolutely insane? She gave him an annoyed look before ignoring the question completely as she shot up in the air on the broom Harry had been stupid enough to get her for her birthday – he had meant for her to use _after_ the birth of their child. Harry was at her side in less than a second.

"Land, Ginny, _now._ There is no why in hell I'm going to let you endanger the life of our child," Harry hissed as the fear of what could happen to the unborn baby growing inside of her suddenly became very clear to him.

"Don't order me around, Harry Potter," Ginny said coldly. "You gave me this broom as a gift, and I mean to you use."

She turned her head away from him and Harry grabbed her arm before she flew away from him. He glanced around him and he noted that the game was still going on – how was it that no one had noticed that Harry had made a dive for the ground without anyone thinking that he had seen the Snitch? And where was Molly? Surely she would be able to get her fiery daughter back on the ground?

"Be my guest, Ginny, fly the broom how ever much you want. Just wait two more months until the baby is born," he said pleadingly. "I beg you to stay safe. Please. For me."

Ginny's expression softened slightly and Harry knew that he had won.

"Will you promise that you will take me flying once baby Potter is born?" she asked, hope evident in her voice – all she ever really wanted was to spend time with him.

He would promise just about anything to get her to land. If this is what she wanted, he would gladly promise to take her flying.

"I promise, Ginny," he said softly, giving her a small smile.

She gave him a searching look before she returned his smile. The next moment she leaned forward and placed a kiss on cheek – and in that moment, their lives changed in less than a second.

"GINNY, LOOK OUT!"

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione stared at the matron of the hospital wing at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry as if the older woman had grown an extra set of heads. There was no way Hermione could have heard Madame Pomfrey correctly.

"Hermione, dear, did you hear what I said?" Poppy wondered, tilting her head as she searched the young woman's face, which had gone deathly pale, for what was going on inside her head.

Hermione nodded jerkily, and she blinked rapidly a few times to gather her thoughts. She knew Poppy's diagnosis was most likely accurate, but she felt the need to ask, just in case;

"Are you sure?"

The question came out as a whisper and Hermione shot Poppy an almost pleading look. The matron's expression turned sympathetic and she placed a comforting hand on the younger witch's shoulder.

"Yes, Hermione, I'm sure. It's not the first time I've cast this charm within these walls. In fact, I cast it just about seven months..."

"Yes, thank you, I remember," Hermione rudely cut her off, not wanting to hear any more. "I'm sorry, Poppy, but I have to go. I need... I need to get out of here."

And with that, Hermione Granger fled from the infirmary like a scared little girl. She literally ran down the deserted halls of Hogwarts, terrified of not knowing what would happen now. As she turned a corner, she ran smack right into the chest of the Potions Master, both of them startled enough by the impact that they each landed on their bums on the cold, stone floor. Hermione gasped in pain and didn't move a muscle as she tried getting over the soreness of her buttocks.

"Hermione, haven't I told you that running in these halls are forbidden for a reason?" Severus grumbled as he got to his feet, brushing his robes off before he held out an arm towards Hermione.

She stared at his open hand blankly and then she promptly burst into tears. Severus's eyes widened in shock – surely the impact hadn't been _that_ bad? – as he instinctively recoiled from her.

"I'm sorry, Sev'rus," she choked out and quickly, but very clumsily, managed to get to feet.

She immediately brushed past him and ran as fast as she could towards the main entrance to the Castle. She didn't hear that Severus was following her, nor did she hear him calling her name. However, she really should have known that he would do both those things and even though he didn't look it, Severus was a very fast runner and it took everything in his power not to simply tackle her to the ground. Somehow, he knew that would be a very, very bad idea. How long was she intending to keep on running? What was she running from? Why had she missed dinner? By now they had made it outside of the walls of Hogwarts and if she didn't stop soon, Severus would have to tackle her – he was a sprinter, and got tired very quickly. Luckily, she solved the problem for him as she stumbled over a tree root and thus ended on the ground for the second time that evening.

He was quickly at her side, getting on his knees next to her, and he pulled her up into a sitting position and embraced her in a tight hug. Hermione was the one person he would admit caring about and he was terrified that something terrible had happened to her. She sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, and she clung heavily to his shirt – he was certain that she would have no trouble breaking it, but at the moment, he didn't care. How long they sat on the grass Snape didn't know, but he rocked her slowly and murmured "sch" every now and then. After a while, Hermione's sobbing turned silent and her breathing calmed.

"Hermione, my dear girl, what on earth is the matter?" he asked her gently.

"I just saw Poppy," Hermione mumbled into his chest.

His heart nearly stopped. Merlin, she had to be dying. Why else would she be so distraught?

"I was so stupid!" she suddenly burst out angrily as she punched her fist into Severus's chest, quite forgetting that he was human and not her pillow.

Severus winced, but gritted his teeth together.

"Hermione, please refrain from hitting me, please," he drawled, pretty sure now that she wasn't dying.

Hermione pulled back from him, looking startled.

"Oh. Sorry," she muttered and then closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "Severus, you're the closest thing I have to family now."

Severus's heart swelled at her words and he bestowed her a rare smile, which she returned even though she still looked heartbroken.

"I need to tell you something and I need you to be understanding and supportive. And most importantly, you can't tell _anyone_."

Severus frowned, wondering what the girl possibly could have done to make her look so scared at the prospect of someone else finding out this secret.

"Hermione, I..."

"Swear it, Severus!" Hermione commanded, her voice tight.

His eyes widened at her outburst, caught of guard by the wild, almost crazy look in her eyes. Finally he sighed, defeated.

"I swear not to tell anyone, Hermione. Now talk to me. You are really worrying me and as I have told you before, I do not enjoy the feeling."

Hermione licked her lips, carefully thinking over how to best tell him her shocking and terrifying news. There was no other way, really, than being painfully blunt. She took a deep breath and then allowed the words to spill out of her mouth before she lost her nerve.

"I'm pregnant."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Mrs Potter is going to live," the Healer said matter-of-factly to the room full of worried people in the waiting room at St Mungo's. "Mr Potter, may I have a word with you in private?"

Harry hurried forward, instinctively knowing that even though Ginny was going to be okay, he was still about to get some very, very bad news.

"I regret to inform you, Mr Potter, that the baby did not survive," the Healer said quietly, a look of sadness in his eyes. "The Bludger hit your wife's abdomen in such a way that the damage was irreversible. I am so sorry."

Harry felt numb. He felt something course through his entire being that drained him of energy, some kind of tingling he couldn't understand, and he leaned heavily against the wall as he slowly slid down to the floor. As his bum connected to the floorboards, Harry pushed the tingling away from him before he passed out. And without further ado, all the windows at St Mungo's shattered into a tiny, million pieces. All around him he could hear people screaming, but he didn't pay them any attention. His child was dead. Just yesterday he had felt the baby kick and now... Nothing. Gone forever. Nothing seemed important anymore.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"I beg your pardon?" Severus said, completely dumbfounded. "What did you just say?"

"I said that I'm pregnant," Hermione answered, suddenly feeling very tired.

Severus simply stared at her for a moment and then he got to his feet, pulling Hermione with him as best as he could on his way up. She was a little surprised at his lack of reaction, but he was, after all, Severus Snape. If he wanted to contain his reaction to her news, he would have no problem doing so. When they were both standing, Severus grabbed her hand and started leading her back towards the Castle.

"Where are we going?" Hermione wondered, but had no real problem just following him wherever he wanted to go.

"Really, Hermione, did you think I would discuss something so private in the middle of the grounds of Hogwarts?" Severus quipped, shooting her pointed glance. "No, I will not utter a single word on this matter until we are in the confined privacy of my quarters."

They walked silently down the corridors towards the dungeons, the sound of their steps echoing in the silence. Once they reached his quarters, Severus opened the door for her and beckoned her towards the couch. She sat down and and immediately had to fight the urge to lie down on the plush cushions.

"Hermione, do I even want to know who the father is?" Severus said with a gentle sigh as he sat down next to her.

He was fairly certain he already knew who the farther was – why else would she be so heartbroken about it? Besides, he very much doubted that she would jump into bed with just anyone.

"It's Harry," she said bluntly, but it came out as a whisper.

She deliberately chose not to look at him. It would break her heart to see the look of disappointment in his eyes. The room was silent for a moment as Severus tried to decide how to best continue this conversation. He had no experience in talking to women about personal stuff such as this and he didn't really know if he was supposed to scold her for acting so foolishly or if he was just supposed to sit quietly and listen. Luckily, Hermione gave him an opening.

"I was so _stupid_," she groaned as she tightly shut her eyes as if she was trying to block out some memory from her mind. "So bloody, fucking stupid."

"Language, Hermione," Severus reprimanded her automatically, even though he really didn't care whatsoever at her cursing. "When did this happen? How did this happen? Wait, don't answer that last part. I think I can imagine how it happened."

He grimaced as an unwelcome image of the two of them in bed popped up in his head and he shut his eyes tightly himself for a second, willing the image to go away.

"The night before the wedding," Hermione whispered so quietly that Severus had to strain his ears to be able to hear the words.

Severus started searching his memory for that day, and he was surprised that he remembered that particular day quite clearly, but that would probably be because of the horribly, depressed mood she had been in that whole week. He had ordered her to leave the Castle and meet up with her friends and she had told him that she was going to see George. Clearly, she had gone to visit Harry Potter instead.

"Oh, Hermione. What in Merlin's name possessed you to go to him that night?"

Hermione bowed her head in shame, hating that she now could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"He... made me so angry," Hermione started, nervously twisting her hands around on her lap. "He sent me a note, pleading with me one last time to come to the wedding. I just... lost it. I went over there to give him an earful – I even got a little violent. And then, when I was about to storm out of there, he grabbed me from behind and just held me there. And then..."

"Yes, I think I can imagine what happened next, Hermione," Severus interrupted, as he really didn't want to hear any details that might make the image of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter tumbling around in the sack pop back into his mind.

"I woke up in the middle of the night," Hermione continued as if she hadn't heard him. "It was still dark outside. And then, quite suddenly, I realized what we had done and the fact that the premises for our relationship hadn't changed at all – Ginny was still pregnant and Harry was going to _marry_ her later that day. I panicked and I felt awful. I wrote him a note, saying we had made a mistake and fled back to Hogwarts."

She came to a pause as her eyes filled with tears and she met Severus's gaze, who immediately seemed to tense up with discomfort – dealing with a distraught, crying woman was hard enough. He really didn't have to _see _the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I felt awful that whole day – I wanted to run after him, stop the wedding and tell him to choose me, but I didn't want to be that girl. At the same time, I kept expecting to see Harry pop up and tell me that the wedding was off... The day after the wedding, the _Daily Prophet_ arrived and there was an announcement with a picture from the ceremony. And then I just thought... Well, that's that. We're over – for good."

She wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand and met his gaze, the look in her eyes conveying some of the inner turmoil she was feeling. It dawned on him that he still didn't know why she was so terrified. Confused and scared, he could understand. This was, after all, something that would change her life drastically, and she was still very, very young. She was still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life and now fate suddenly had decided for her.

"Hermione, what terrifies you so?" he wondered as he took one of her small hands in his.

"What happens now? Will the apprenticeship be canceled now? Will I raise this baby completely alone for the rest of my life? What if Harry founds out? What if...?"

Severus held up his free hand in front of her and shushed her and she immediately went silent, her brown orbs staring at him with such frailty that his heart squeezed in sympathy for her.

"You need not worry about your apprenticeship, Hermione. Neither Minerva nor myself would allow that to happen, as you must know," he replied gently and he noticed the tiniest hint of smile on her face. "As for raising the baby alone... I cannot answer that, as I do not know what the future holds for you. But even after your apprenticeship is over, you can stay here, with me, for as long you'd like and I could help you..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was startled into silence when Hermione flung herself into his chest, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck. He smiled and circled his arms around her lithe form, and he let her hold him until she ended the hug on her terms. Not that he minded her constant need for a hug or two – he had even come to like hugs himself, a fact he, of course, never would admit to to anyone but himself.

"I think you should tell Harry, Hermione," Severus suddenly said quietly.

She flinched back from him, a look of betrayal in her eyes.

"He has the right to know. You know this as well as I do. If nothing else, please think about it before you decide to flat out refuse."

Hermione regarded him for a moment, evidently thinking over his words. Then she nodded slowly – she would think about it, even though she already knew that it most likely wouldn't make a difference.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Ginny was at St Mungo's for nearly a week before she was well enough to go home. Since he didn't have summer vacation from Auror training, Harry took time off in order to look after her, since she was still very weak. Like Harry, Ginny hadn't taken the news of the loss of their child well. The Healers had been forced to shove not only a Calming Draught down her throat, but a Sleeping Potion as well, when it had been evident that the first potion had no effect on the distraught witch whatsoever. When Ginny had woken, Harry had quickly come to the realization that Ginny would never be the same again. For the first few days, she barely ate, she didn't speak and there was nothing that changed the blank look on her face. She was an empty shell, and it scared Harry.

When it was time for Ginny to go home, Molly wanted to come along to the apartment in order to care for her daughter, more or less demanding that the guest room should be set up for her. Behind Molly's back, Harry saw Ginny tense and for the first time since she had woken, she shot Harry a pleading look as she carefully shook her head. Harry frowned, wondering why on earth she didn't want her mother with her home, but he would respect her wishes.

"I'm sorry, Molly, but we want to be left alone," Harry said softly. "I will take care of her."

"Harry, don't be silly – you need to go back to your training and I really do believe that Ginny needs me right now, so..."

"No, Molly," Harry interrupted rudely, knowing that trying to be nice and respectful would not make a difference now – she would continue to insist until she had gotten her way. "This time you'll have to stay at the Burrow. We want to be alone and that means that we don't want anyone, not even you, to come with us."

Molly stared at Harry in surprise and then turned to face her daughter, a miffed expression on her face.

"Ginny, will you make Harry see sense?" she wondered, but it came out more as an order than a question.

Ginny just shook her head in reply and Molly's mouth dropped in shock. Then she turned on her heel with a "hmpf!" and stormed out of the room. Ginny's gaze locked with Harry's for a moment.

"Thank you," she whispered, averting her eyes to her hands, which she was nervously twisting on her lap. "Can we go home now?"

Harry just nodded and came forward to help her out of bed. She leaned heavily on him and she groaned when she felt how sore and stiff her body was. He led her slowly to the nearest apparition point, took her on Side-Along Apparition and the next moment they were standing inside the apartment. They didn't move for a couple of minutes, but stayed in each other's arms. Ginny suddenly started crying, the silent tears breaking Harry's heart a little more. The loss of their child weighed heavily on their shoulders, especially Ginny's, and Harry wrapped his arms firmly around her waist.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she mumbled into his chest. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry. So sorry."

Harry didn't say anything, because he knew that nothing he could say would make her realize that he wasn't angry with her or blamed her for what had happened. If she had ignored him and played despite his pleas, then he would have been angry and resentful. But Ginny had agreed to land, and to stay safe... The Bludger had come out of nowhere – Bill had even been able to concur after he had examined it that it was faulty and should never have been put into play to start with.

Harry finally pulled back from his wife and led her to the bedroom. She didn't protest when he helped her out of her clothes, nor did she seem to even be aware of it. When she had been tucked in, he spelled the blinds closed and then left the room, leaving the door open in case she needed him. He made himself a sandwich and poured himself a large glass of Firewhiskey with ice, choosing to sit down in front of the telly for the first time in weeks. As he slowly munched on his sandwich, he couldn't help feeling utterly useless. What was in the future for them now?

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Severus's heart ached when he heard his apprentice loudly empty everything in her stomach into the toilet. He had hurried after her when she had just rushed off in the middle of dinner and he had even considered going into the stall to be able to hold her hair when he had realized what was going on, but he thought better of it. Neither of them would be quite the same if he had been in viewing distance of Hermione Granger vomiting violently. He heard her flush the toilet and then a minute later she opened the door – she looked pale and tired.

"Why in Merlin's name is it called 'morning sickness' if it lasts all day?" she grumbled, giving him a sour look as if he was the one to blame.

"I do not know the answer to that, Hermione," he answered, trying to hide the amusement he felt.

She just rolled her eyes and then washed her hands, mouth and face. Four days had gone by since she had found out that she was pregnant and she had finally decided that she had to write to Harry to at least see if he could come by Hogwarts so that they could talk.

"I take it you do not want to return to the Great Hall for dinner?" Severus wondered, tilting his head slightly as he waited for her answer.

She winced, clutching her stomach slightly and shook her head.

"I'm going to rest a bit, send off that letter to Harry," she answered, and she noticed that he looked pleased with her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Severus."

They shared a smile and then they parted ways, Hermione going to her room and Severus back to Great Hall to finish eating his pot roast. She started a fire with a flick of her wand, lit a few candles and summoned a bit of parchment and her Self-Inking Quill, which she had gotten as a gift from George, and swiftly wrote a note to Harry.

_My dearest Harry,_

_I know it's been a long time since we had any contact with each other – I hate that we have been reduced to strangers. Even though we can't be together the way we want, I still need and want you in my life. You're my best friend, Harry. We should be able to see each other, talk to each other or at least write to each other. _

_I'm sorry I just took off the way I did. I panicked, and wasn't in my right mind. It took everything in my power not to crash the wedding and ask you to choose me instead – just as I hoped that you would leave Ginny at the alter, come to Hogwarts and tell me that we would get our happily-ever-after. But when it comes down to it, neither one of us are that selfish. You did what you had to do – I understand that, even if I don't like it. _

_I need to see you, Harry. Please, meet me in Hogsmeade for a butterbeer. Just like in the good old days, eh? _

_I miss you._

_Hermione_

She called for Severus's house-elf Blinky, feeling too tired to walk up to the Owlery and asked the little creature if she could take the letter to an owl and ask it to deliver the letter to Harry Potter's address. Blinky was more than eager to oblige and was gone with a 'pop'. She stared into the flames for a few minutes, wondering how Harry would react when he noticed her handwriting on the envelope. Would he be happy? Annoyed? Resentful? She sighed, forcing herself of the couch. She was in need of a long, therapeutic bath while she waited for Harry's reply.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Ginny woke in what she thought was the middle of the night, her stomach growling loudly from the lack of food. She was surprised that it had taken her tummy this long to protest the fact that it wasn't getting any food and she decided that it had suffered enough now.

"Harry?" she called softly.

No reply. No sound of feet coming towards her. She frowned, wondering if had left the apartment. She slipped out of bed, pattering softly down the hall towards the living room, she found him sound asleep on the couch, the telly still on. Ginny just watched him for a moment, realizing just now how tired he must be. This had been a huge ordeal for him as well. From the clock on the wall she could see that it was only ten o'clock – Harry never fell asleep before eleven when he was home. She turned away and stealthily left the room, letting him sleep. She could fix something small to eat herself. No matter what her mother thought, she was not helpless, not even now.

As she entered the kitchen, she heard a tapping on the window and she glanced towards it – just outside was an owl with a letter in between its beak. Ginny opened the window and excepted the letter, and she watched it sit down on the ledge, it's huge, knowing eyes watching her. The owl was obviously going to wait until she had read the letter – maybe the sender even wanted a swift reply. She turned the letter over in her hands and her insides instantly went cold. She knew who that handwriting belonged to. Before the rift in their friendship, Hermione had lent her all her O.W.L notes and any other notes the older witch thought might be useful for her. The letter was addressed to Harry. What could she possibly want with him? They hadn't spoken in months.

Ginny let out a wild gasp as she suddenly thought that Hermione must be aware of them losing the baby and now she saw her chance to get Harry back! There was _no_ chance that Ginny was going to allow that. She took a post-it note, for once feeling that Harry had some sense about buying muggle stuff and wrote the first two words that came to mind, carefully mimicking Harry's handwriting. She attached the post-it on the envelope and then handed it to the owl, which looked slightly confused.

"Take this back to her, please."

She watched owl fly off, feeling certain that her future with Harry was still safe.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione was reading a book when Blinky popped back into her quarters. She frowned when she noticed that the elf looked slightly nervous.

"Blinky? What's wrong?" she demanded softly, putting the book down on the couch next to her.

"Blinky didn't mean to read the note, Miss, but Blinky thinks that Miss won't be happy when she reads it herself."

Hermione frowned, wondering what on earth she was talking about. Then Blinky held out a letter, and the witch stared at it for a moment before she realized that it wasn't what she was hoping for. It was the same letter she had sent off to Harry – the only difference was that it now had a yellow post-it on it. Her frowned deepened and she held out a shaky hand towards the elf.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered when letter was placed in her hands, her heart clenching painfully.

She stared at the two words on the post-it for a long time, not wanting to believe that Harry had actually written them. But there it was – _not interested_ in what was undoubtedly Harry's penmanship. He hadn't even opened her letter. He had no interest in rekindling their friend. She gasped as she the realization hit her like a punch in the stomach. Only then did she realize that the house-elf hadn't left. _Thank Merlin for small favors._

"Blinky, please get Severus."

The elf disappeared with a pop and a moment later the elf was back, this time with the Potions Master in a firm grip, who was looking bewildered and slightly enraged at the same time.

"You crazy elf, what do you think...?"

Severus stopped short when he noticed that Hermione's lithe body was shaking, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. He was by her side in a second and before he got a chance to ask her what was wrong, she handed him the letter.

"He didn't even open it," she whispered brokenly.

Severus stared at the letter in open shock. The words on the strange little yellow note were clearly written in Potter's handwriting, but he couldn't understand that the boy could be so cold towards one who he claimed to love.

"That settles it then, Severus. We'll make your quarters larger, just like we talked about. I'll finish my apprenticeship... and only then will we see what the future holds for me and my child."

Severus sighed and gently shook his head.

"I am deeply sorry, Hermione. I never would have even thought that Potter could be so cold, so callous. I will help you in any way that I can, I promise you. You will not be alone."

Hermione found the strength to give him a small smile. At least she had the love and protection of Severus Snape and she thanked Merlin that her child at least would have something of a grandfather in the surly Potions Master. She knew the man was no big fan of children, but somewhere deep inside her she could feel that Severus would love this child – even if said child was Harry Potter's.


	10. A child is born

_AN: Big thanks to all my reviewers and devoted readers. Sorry for keeping you waiting so long. Sorry if there are a bunch of errors. I must admit that it's late here in Sweden and I am eager to post this chapter, so rather than wait a whole day, I choose to post the chapter now. Enjoy!_

Chapter Ten

A child is born

Two weeks after Hermione had gotten the shockingly cold reply from Harry, she was enjoying a hearty breakfast of waffles, eggs and bacon, while Severus watched her with a mix of amusement and surprise. She had always been a light eater, like himself, but the baby growing inside of her clearly had other ideas about her eating habits. The last few days it had seemed near impossible to stop herself from stuffing her face at every meal.

"Severus, I was wondering if I could go to St Mungo's today," Hermione suddenly said, breaking the silence for the first time since they had started breakfast.

Hermione had moved into Severus's quarters a few days before and so far the living arrangement seemed to agree with them both. She could tell that her old professor had no real problem relinquishing his personal space and share his private life with her. On the contrary, he seemed to love the advantage of always being able to keep an eye on her. She knew that along with the growing of her stomach, Severus's would become more and more of a mother hen. Putting "Severus" and "mother hen" in the same sentence sounded ridiculous, but that was the truth; Hermione couldn't say she would mind much

Severus raised a slender eyebrow in question – they both knew they had a perfectly good Healer in Madame Pomfrey and there was no need for her to go to St Mungo's for a checkup.

"Please don't speak with your mouth full, Hermione."

She just rolled her eyes and shoveled some more eggs in to her mouth, and Severus gave her a mock look of disgust, whilst patiently waiting to hear the reason for why she wanted to go to St Mungo's.

"I want to visit my mum," she explained once she had swallowed. "I haven't seen her since I checked her in, I've been so busy with everything going on..."

Severus's expression grew solemn in respect and he nodded his head in understanding. Hermione had never spoken about her mother, something he had taken as a sign that it simply hurt too much.

"And with school starting next week, I don't know how much time there will be to go during term."

"Do you wish for me to accompany you?" Severus wondered gently.

Hermione nodded as she put her cup of tea down on the table.

"Yes, please," she answered, relief evident on her face that she wouldn't have to do this alone. "If you don't have any pressing matters to attend to today?"

Severus just shook his head and then wiped his mouth carefully with a napkin. Hermione fought the urge to point out that he was so careful when he ate that he would never need wipe his mouth once he was done.

"For you, my dear, I would drop everything on today's schedule and attend to your every need and whim," he said as he bowed his head to her, a small smile lingering on his lips. "And Hermione, whenever you want to visit your mother, just ask me. I will find the time to take you."

She gave him a little grin in return. He was so sweet to her these days, always putting her needs before his own... Spoiling her, in so many different ways, and she doubted that he was even aware of it.

"Why don't we leave after breakfast, then?" Hermione suggested, scraping up the last of the scrambled eggs from her plate. "We might as well get it over with."

Ten minutes later, the pair was ready to depart. They walked down to the gates of Hogwarts, and just as they were about to go through the gates, Hermione came to an abrupt halt. Severus turned to face her, a curious expression on his face. He noticed her hands dart towards her stomach.

"I'm still not showing, right?"

Oh, so she was worried about meeting someone she knew and, right, the pregnancy was supposed to be a big secret. He sighed and took a couple of steps away from her, eying her carefully.

"Turn to to your left," he instructed and not even in her profile was her growing stomach detectable. "You're still not showing."

"Good. Thank you."

Once in Hogsmeade, far away enough from the wards of the Hogwarts grounds, they apparated to the entrance of St Mungo's. For a moment, Hermione just watched the building as she shuddered lightly. Her mother would be stuck in this place for the rest of her life. Would she even be aware of Hermione now? Would she be able to hold her grandchild and understand that Hermione was the mother? She sighed deeply and then she looked at Severus, giving him a small nod to show him that she was ready to continue. They walked side by side and just as they reached the entrance, another pair was leaving. Hermione's heart almost stopped.

Ginny and Mrs Weasley. Merlin's beard – she just couldn't catch a break could she?

From the stiff posture of the man beside her, Hermione knew that Severus had seen them as well. And like her, he knew that a confrontation would not be possible to avoid. Ginny noticed them first, and Hermione was surprised to see the evident look of grief on the younger woman's features. A second later, Hermione noticed something that suddenly scared her – Ginny's stomach was... _flat_. Hermione quickly counted in her head, coming to the conclusion that Ginny shouldn't be due for another month. Oh, no...

"What are _you_ doing here?" Mrs Weasley snapped in an unpleasant greeting, her eyes instantly cleared of all warmth as she wrapped an arm around her daughter. "Here to gloat? Have you come to inform us of some ridiculous plan to get Harry back? Well, I won't stand for it!"

Hermione's jaw dropped in surprise. She had felt nothing but sympathy for her old friend up until Mrs Weasley had opened her mouth with this nonsense.

"Don't be absurd, Molly!" Severus hissed, knowing full well that Hermione was too shocked at the moment to speak for herself. "How in Merlin's name would we have been able to know that you were here? As a matter of fact, up until now, neither of us knew that there was anything to gloat about!"

"Lies!" Molly spat, thrusting her finger out in an accusative manner. "How could you not have heard? It's been all over the press..."

"Molly, listen to me very carefully, because I will only say this once," Severus interrupted calmly, but still forcefully enough for Mrs Weasley to shut her mouth in surprise. "Not that you deserve an explanation, but for some reason, I feel inclined to give you one anyway. Hermione and I have been in the Potions lab for two weeks, trying endlessly to restock the infirmary's supply of medical potions before the term starts, only pausing for sleep and nutrition. Neither one of us has read the _Prophet _in weeks, since the new editor is an imbecile who only publishes mindless drivel. Believe me when I say that we have not been informed of these unfortunate events."

Hermione kept her eyes on Ginny as Severus spoke and noticed that the younger witch refused to look at her or Severus. Mrs Weasley was just glaring at the Potions Master with contempt, looking as if she didn't believe a word he was saying.

"It is highly insulting if you believe that either Hermione or myself would rejoice in the loss of a child, Molly, regardless of these unique circumstances. Us being here has nothing to do with you."

"That's preposterous! Why else would you be here? Madame Pomfrey is an excellent Healer, so there really is no reason for you to be here!"

This had to end, now, before Hermione got a headache.

"Mrs Weasley, you're being unreasonable," Hermione snapped, her patience with the older woman finally gone. "Even you can't be stupid enough to think that Madame Pomfrey can treat every affliction. Besides, did it occur to you that not everything in this bloody world is about you?"

She felt some small satisfaction when Mrs Weasley's jaw dropped in surprise, but the older woman caught herself quickly and harrumphed.

"I still demand to know what you're doing here!"

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy!" Hermione nearly shouted, causing Ginny to jump and Mrs Weasley to take a step back. "My _mother_ is a permanent resident at the Janus Thickey Ward, since _someone_ once told me that I should lock her properly! I'm here to visit her, you heartless, selfish woman, and Severus was kind enough to accompany me!"

A look of regret flashed over Mrs Weasley's features, but Hermione didn't give a damn. She turned to the girl who once was her friend.

"I think you know, Ginny, that I would never gloat about your loss. I truly am sorry."

With that she brushed past them, while Severus shot a nasty look at Mrs Weasley before he followed. He caught up with Hermione in a few strides, who was shaking quite badly. She stopped abruptly and flung herself into Severus's arms. They stood like that for a little while, and even though people around them were openly staring at them, he didn't care.

"Hermione, you're ruining my reputation as the cold, mean, heartless, greasy dungeon bat," he told her softly, hoping to get her in higher spirits.

He heard her let out a small laugh and she finally let go of him. She just gave him a grateful smile, which he returned and bowed his slightly in recognition of her silent way of thanking him. As they made their way to the Janus Thickey Ward, Hermione found herself wondering what would she do without him.

"Why do think no one's told me?" Hermione asked quietly as they made their way down the halls. "Not even George..."

She trailed off helplessly as she glanced at Severus; he usually had some kind of answer, be it fact or a calculated guess, but this time he simply gave her an uncharacteristic shrug of his shoulders.

"I do not think that people have been purposely keeping this from you, Hermione. This must have come as a shock, even to George."

She let out a sigh, and nodded. A few seconds later, she gasped in realization and came to an abrupt stop. Severus could almost she her brain working to fit the pieces together.

"Do you think this is the reason he didn't open my letter?" she wondered finally. "That he thought that I was going to rub it in somehow?"

It was evident in her eyes that the thought of Harry thinking that she could be so malicious was hurting her. Severus sighed gently.

"Hermione, contrary to popular belief I don't know everything," he said slowly, noticing that the corners of her mouth twitched, but she didn't smile. "I know even less of how the mind of the wizarding hero works. I can sadly not give you answer to any of these questions."

Hermione just nodded in defeat. As their made their way to Mrs Granger, Hermione made a mental note to write to George the minute they returned to Hogwarts.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"You're here to inform me that you're going out," Harry stated, glancing up from his book at Ginny, who was dressed up to her teeth in a short, dark green cocktail dress.

"Yeah," came Ginny's annoyed reply, and she eyed him wearily, tightening her winter cloak around her – it was mid February and freezing outside. "I don't suppose you want to join us? I'm meeting up with Lavender and Parvati and another couple of girls from Hogwarts. Some of the guys might be there too."

Harry narrowed his eyes a fraction, suddenly unsure of how to interpret her tone. It almost sounded as if a part of her wanted him to join her and another part of her really didn't want him to – almost as if she was hoping for him to decline, like he always did. He wondered briefly if living in celibacy was taking its toll on her and if she had finally started cheating on him.

"No, you have fun. Say hello to everyone from me though, yeah?"

Ginny harrumphed and didn't even bother to bid her husband goodbye. Harry watched her leave, waited patiently for the sound of apparition and then he sighed, putting the book down on the little table next to him.

Since the loss of their child, everything had been so strange. For the first couple of weeks, Ginny had been inconsolable before suddenly shifting gear, seemingly doing all in her power to bed Harry in order to have another child. She had cooked him delicious, romantic candlelit dinners, she had dressed up in sexy little outfits, she had waited on his bed (yes, _his _bed – they slept in different rooms) without any clothes on... Time after time, Harry had been forced to see the anguish on her face when he rejected her. He knew she wanted to make amends, by having another child, but he just couldn't... Not yet. He had taken the loss very hard.

He still wanted children, very much so. He also knew that getting out of their marriage would be near impossible, since only extreme circumstances allowed divorce in the wizarding world. Harry soon came to the revelation that the only way for their marriage to work was if they had children, and the notion seemed unbelievable harsh, but that was how he felt. He loved Ginny to some extent, but it would never be enough to live his life with only her. So, five months after the loss of their unborn child, Harry approached Ginny and said he was ready to start trying to get pregnant.

Ginny's reaction had come as a shock to him. She had told him, quite frankly that she had changed her mind – that she didn't want to have children. Now that she had been given some distance to everything that had happened and how she had felt those weeks after being at St Mungo's, just the thought of being pregnant and the chance of going through all of that again made her absolutely terrified. If she lost another child, she would not be able to handle it. Harry, in his state of shock, had been unable to come up with anything to say.

And now, they were leading very different lives. Harry would be graduating from the Auror Academy in a few months, in the beginning of June, and all he wanted to do when he came home every weekend was to just enjoy some peace and quiet – have a great dinner, read a book, watch the telly... He did not share Ginny's constant need to go out partying or meeting all their friends for dinners here and there.

They were more or less living separate lives and the thing that Harry wanted most at the moment was for Ginny to start cheating on him so that he could use that along with his status of being the "boy who lived to vanquish He-who-must-not-be-named" to ensure his case of "extreme circumstance" when he filed for divorce.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Hermione, you need to sit down and relax," Severus said sternly, his expression more serious than it had been in a long time, and he held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "Don't you dare deny the fact that you remain standing on your feet solely out of pure stubbornness. I will not have it. Sit down – _know._"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"But, Severus, I will damage the potion if I leave now and..."

"I will take over," Severus interrupted impatiently, grasping the ladle she was about to stir the potion with, gently pushing her out of the way. "For Merlin's sake, Hermione! You're over eight and a half months pregnant – you need to slow down!"

He was unable to mask his worry any longer and Hermione sighed, grudgingly admitting to herself that he had a point. She hated being coddled and there had been a lot of coddling the last couple of months. All the teachers knew of Hermione's condition, but none except Severus and Minerva knew who the father was. When told, Minerva had agreed with Severus that Harry had the right to know, but in the end they had conceded that it was Hermione's decision. The teachers were ecstatic over the prospect of an infant being born in the Castle and where already discussing ways to baby proof the corridors for when the infant would grow into a toddler who would wildly roam the ancient halls like no child had done in over a lifetime. For the staff, this truly was a joyous occasion; a toddler hadn't been terrorizing the corridors in well over sixty years and they were all looking forward to seeing the baby grow.

Hermione was glad that the teachers were excited and that she could talk to them about the pregnancy as well as the future, because she hated not being able to tell her friends. Not that she had many friends these days, but still... She wondered what George and Luna would say if they knew; she really couldn't be certain about their reactions. Her gut told her that they would side with her, especially Luna. But since George was a Weasley, she would never be a hundred percent certain that he would be pleased, even though he _seemed _to care more about her than his family in many ways.

The students didn't know anything. Ever since she had started showing, she had placed a glamor charm over her stomach and securely kept it there whenever she left her quarters. No one could know about this; before she had told the teachers, she had sworn them all to silence. Someone had wondered if all the secrecy was needed because Severus was the father.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione and Severus had snapped at the same time, sharing an amused look before Hermione had continued. "Severus is like a father to me. Please don't dwell further into that absurd notion. Just the thought is slightly sickening... No offense, Severus."

Severus had fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"None taken, Hermione," he had said briskly. "Just as you must not take offense in the fact that I find it slightly sickening as well."

Hermione had grinner at that, and the topic had been dropped.

"Hermione, standing idly by and watching me stir does not count as relaxing. Sit down _now_."

Severus snapping at her brought her back to her senses. He seldom gave her orders, and when he did, it was usually for her own good. She gave him a sour look before she plopped down on the chair he had conjured for her and he gave her a satisfied nod as he stirred the potion she had been working on.

"How did your checkup with Poppy go this morning?" Severus wondered, glancing at her briefly before returning his gaze to the simmering potion.

"As expected," Hermione answered as she shifted on the seat, trying to find a position that didn't press the baby against her bladder. "The baby's is healthy and all that. She's still trying to talk me into letting her check the sex."

Severus snorted in amusement. He could still remember the expression on Madame Pomfrey's face when Hermione had told her that she didn't want to know the gender of the baby. Poppy had never encountered a witch before who didn't want to know before hand if she was carrying a boy or a girl. Hermione had even forbidden the medi-witch to gather the information for her file... She didn't want _anyone _to know.

"Well, at least she is keeping her word, however grudgingly she seems to be doing it," Severus commented without taking his eyes off the potion. "Have you thought about names?"

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his question, a question she had received many, many times from all teachers. However, Severus had been asking her about names at least a couple of times every week.

"I have, but... I would kind of maybe want a name with some connection to Harry, but... that might be stupid," she murmured, trying to keep the hurt from her voice.

Severus's snapped up to meet hers and she saw the conflicting emotions in his eyes; what to do, keep stirring the potion or console her?

"Don't be an idiot, Severus," she chided him and gave him a brave smile. "Drop that ladle and you'll ruin several hours of my work. I am _fine._"

Severus held her glance a moment longer and then he sighed, turning back to the potion with a huff.

"Why would it be stupid?" he finally asked.

"It would be kind of obvious to the staff if I named the baby Harry, or even Lily or James, don't you think? And once the rest of the wizarding world finds out, I'm sure they'll jump to the same conclusions..."

"... and so would Mr Potter," he finished for her. "You still haven't explained your newfound fear of the possibility of the Weasley's or Harry finding out about the baby."

Hermione inhaled deeply and gently stroke her swollen belly.

"George sent me a letter last week, saying that Ginny doesn't want children anymore and Harry is frustrated and angry about the fact. At the same time, he understands where Ginny's coming from; she almost died and when she lost the baby, her heart broke."

She paused for a moment as the potion made a "poofing" sound and she watched Severus drop the ladle to conjure some vials. He motioned for her to continue, that he was still listening.

"If Ginny doesn't want children, that means my child will be the heir to the Potter line. I don't know much about wizarding law, but I don't want to give the Weasley's the chance of claiming my child as their own; I don't know if Ginny, as Mrs Potter, has any right to take him or her away from me. I will _not_ see my child raised by Ginny and Molly."

Severus quietly filled up all the vials before he finally turned to look at her. His expression was very serious and she could tell that he was doing some hard thinking.

"I understand your concern, Hermione. Ancient wizarding laws could make it possible for them to claim your child. They are seldom used today, but they are still in effect and could be called upon. However, would Mr Potter concede? Would he allow them to take your son or daughter from you?"

"I don't know!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. "Maybe, if he gets desperate enough. I know he can't divorce Ginny, and if she doesn't want children... Then he has options. If he can get Ginny to accept my child as her own, he or she would be the legitimate heir to the Potter line."

They were quiet for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts. Severus was the one to break the silence, and he did so with an abrupt change of topic.

"Enough of this now."

He managed to help her to her feet and then he steered her towards the door.

"I'm buying you dinner at the Three Broomsticks. Go change and meet me at the Great Hall in ten minutes. Chop, chop!"

Hermione stared at him dumbly.

"Chop, chop?"

Severus's eyes narrowed a fraction and he let out a barely audible growl. Hermione, understanding his point, quickly left the room, chuckling softly as the hurried down the corridors. Dinner at the Three Broomsticks! That must mean that he _desperately_ wanted her in higher spirits. She hurried as much as she could, but her ability to move these days was quite limited. After she was dressed, she roughly combed her hair and then she set off to the Great Hall. Severus was already there, waiting for her. He gave her a smile and offered her his arm and together they walked out on the grounds, the slightly tilted path making it much easier for Hermione to keep some sort of normal speed. And then she suddenly came to a halt. Severus gave her a questioning look.

"Severus," she whispered, her eyes suddenly wide with fear and panic. "We won't be going to dinner."

"Why? What's wrong? The baby?" Severus asked as he frowned, getting worried now.

She grasped his other arm and winced in pain.

"I need you to take me to Poppy. My water just broke."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione was in labor for a little over six hours and she knew after the first contraction that this would be the worst experience of her life. Severus had tried to leave, thinking that she would want privacy, but her panic had flared then and she had clutched to the sleeve of his robes, forcing him to stay. He had settled behind her then, or as much behind her that he could come in order for him to keep a firm hold of her hand. She had been calmer with him there, but the pain was nearly unbearable and she cried out for Harry when it was at its worst. Poppy's eyes had widened in realization and she had shot Severus a questioning glance. Severus had nodded once in confirmation, knowing that denying it would be pointless. Hermione would scold herself severely once the baby had been delivered.

It was a boy.

Once Poppy had cleaned him off, she had settled him on top of Hermione, a fond smile playing on her lips as she watched the little one squirm.

"He will look just like his father when he grows up," Poppy said softly, her eyes coming up to meet Hermione's, giving her a meaningful look.

Hermione's brown orbs widened in surprise and she turned to Severus for answers. He tried his best to give her comforting, reassuring smile.

"You cried out for him," he offered in explanation.

The young witch groaned in frustration and fear. Would Poppy be able to keep the information to herself?

"Dear child, even if you hadn't, I would have known. His eyes are emerald green and he's got mop of black hair already growing on his head... I will leave you three alone for a bit now; I'll go tell the teachers that all is well. I will not mention anything that will tie him to his father."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered and with one last smile at the little boy, Poppy left.

Severus settled down in a chair by her bed and he felt his heart constrict as he watched mother and son together. Hermione looked tired, but happy and content.

"He's so beautiful," she murmured softly.

Severus managed not to snort out loud. Why did women always think that newborn babies were _beautiful_? In his opinion, it took a few months before babies could even be considered _cute_.

"The little one needs a name now, Hermione."

The witch tore her eyes from her son to meet the Potions Master's gaze. He was looking at the boy with what she could only describe as awe; however, she knew he would not want to hold the little baby today... He would definitely need a few days to realize that he wouldn't hurt the tiny infant just by holding him.

"Severus, I know your relationship with your father wasn't the best, but did you hate him?"

Severus flinched, his eyes snapped up to meet hers; he was unable to mask how completely bewildered he was at the question. When she didn't elaborate, but rather looked as if she was expecting him to answer her, he pondered the question seriously for a few seconds.

"No, I never hated my father. There were times when I didn't like him much... Then again, the feeling was most likely mutual. But, no, I didn't hate him. Why do you ask?"

"Well... You know how much trouble I've finding a proper name for this little guy. I've settled for James as his middle name, because I want to keep true to some kind of tradition, although he really should have Harry or Harold as his middle name... But for some reason, I think James suits him better. Besides, the name Harry really doesn't go with the name I've been considering for him."

She paused then, giving her son a loving look as she stroke his gently. After a moment, she met Severus's confused gaze, instinctively knowing that she was making the right decisions.

"I have two things to ask of you, Severus. Please feel free to say no to both if you want to. I don't want to force you into anything," Hermione said softly, reaching her hand out to his.

He took it without hesitation.

"First, I want to ask your permission to name my son Toby. It's not exactly the same as Tobias, which was your father's name, and I'm assuming it's your middle name as well, but I would like his name to end with a y, like Harry does, you know? I would've liked to have named him Severus, but I don't think that Harry would be quite comfortable with his son being named after his most feared professor, if he ever were to find out."

Severus was speechless. He stared at the young witch in open shock; she seriously wanted to name her child after him? He didn't even know how to respond to such an honor.

"Severus, please," Hermione said softly, reading all his conflicting emotions in his eyes. "I have told you many times I consider you family. I don't know how I would have gotten through the past year without you. I owe you so much... Please agree to this. Let me name my son Toby."

"Hermione, you... honor me," Severus finally managed to choke out, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand. "Of course I'll agree to it. And I believe that you are right in not naming him Severus. If nothing else, it will be bloody confusing later on in life."

Hermione chuckled at that and granted him a huge smile. He simply bowed his head in return and brought her hand up to his mouth to be able to give it a soft peck.

"The second thing I want to ask you, Severus, is much more direct and I will not prolong it unnecessarily; will you be Toby's godfather?"

"I... you... yes, of course," Severus said, quickly regaining his composure and then he quite abruptly got to his feet – he did not want Hermione to see that his eyes were tearing up – and with his back to back her, he wondered; "are you sure?"

Hermione let out a scoff, and when his eyes penetrating gaze met hers, she rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm sure, Severus. I love you, you prat, and I know you love me too, even though you'll never admit that out loud. More importantly, I know that you've loved Toby long before he was born and I trust you with his life. Who else would be better suited to be his godfather?"

He didn't answer her, but she could almost swear she heard him mutter something about Black rolling in his grave.

"Severus, so help me..."

"Fine, I'll be godfather."

Hermione snorted and gave him a mischievous look.

"Of course you will be. You actually think you had a choice?"

"Now wait just a minute, Hermione, I am your teacher and..."

Hermione tuned him out, thoroughly enjoying their light and easy banter. For the first time in months, she finally felt as if she could relax. Her child had arrived and he had been named; she was a little surprised that Severus had agreed to Toby so quickly. However, now that he had agreed to being godfather she knew that she would never have to worry about her son if something were to happen to her. Now, if there only was a way for her to tell Harry that he had fathered a beautiful, little baby boy without anyone else finding out and without the possibility that Toby would be taken from her... Hermione sighed. That would be easier said than done.

_AN: I know I keep saying this, but sorry for the long delay. At least school is over now. One less responsibility to worry about. PLEASE REVIEW. I always love to hear what you think. _


	11. Divorce

Chapter Eleven

Divorce

Harry sat in his favorite chair, a glass of firewhiskey in one hand and a bunch of papers and photos in his other. His gaze shifted towards the window, and he stared out of it without really seeing anything. It was a beautiful June evening and in less than three days he would graduate from the Auror academy. Yet, he felt no real excitement.

Two weeks ago he had hired a private detective to follow Ginny around (and Harry had payed him extra to ensure his discretion); now he finally had solid proof of her infidelity. There were pictures of her eating dinner with a man, their hands entwined as they shared secretive looks, pictures of them kissing on a park bench and in an alley close to the Leaky Cauldron. There was even a picture of them snogging as they stumbled in through the door to the man's flat. However, it was the last picture that really bothered him, because it made almost painfully clear that Ginny wanted to be caught; why else would she have the man snog her senseless on the street right outside of their home, Harry's apartment?

He didn't think that it would bother him when he found out _who_ she had been seeing for the past month or so (who knew, maybe it was more), but clearly he had been wrong. However, this was only due to the fact that he never would have dreamed that one of his friends would hook up with his wife.

Perhaps he had merely fallen in love with her and hadn't been able to help himself. Maybe Harry would've felt better if he had actually come talk to him about it; but, then again, who knew how Ginny really felt about the relationship? There was a big chance that she was intent on staying married to Harry, simply for the immense wealth the boy who lived had. Maybe she hadn't come to the conclusion that she loved the man yet, being so set in her mind that she was Mrs Potter. Nevertheless, he had to talk to them. This couldn't continue; Harry had been unhappy from the start and Ginny had been unhappy for months, finding affection in another man. Harry would tell her that he wanted a divorce and then she could do whatever the hell she wanted.

He took a wild guess and came to the conclusion that they probably currently were in his flat in Diagon Alley. Harry downed his whiskey in one large gulp and then simply turned on his heal, apparating to the Leaky Cauldron. Keeping his head down, he quickly strode through the pub, not wanting anyone to notice him. As he tapped the brick wall with his wand, he let out a sigh of relief that no one had recognized him. He took a right after Flourish and Blotts, entered the apartment building on the left and then climbed the stairs to the flat on the top floor.

He stared at the name on the door for quite some time. Strangely, he only felt weary. Perhaps the anger and feelings of betrayal would come later. He knocked on the door and then waited patiently, silently counting the seconds tick by. He briefly wondered if he had managed to come by when they were in the middle of having sex...

When he got to twenty-seven seconds, the door finally opened.

"H-harry? What are you doing here?"

Harry simply looked at his friend for a moment. Clearly, they had not been having sex. The wizard was wearing an apron and holding a bottle of wine. He was interrupting dinner then, not sex. Thank _Merlin_ for small favors.

"We need to talk, Neville."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Neville, stop!" Ginny giggled, trying in vain to slap away the tickling fingers that were digging into her sides. "You're making me spill tomato sauce all over!"

He swiftly pulled her into his embrace, her back firmly molded against his chest.

"Then I suggest you put the ladle down and turn around so that I can kiss you," Neville whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

She immediately dropped the ladle into the pan and slowly turned around his arms until they were face to face. They simply looked at each other for a moment. Who knew that Neville Longbottom could make her feel so alive? She felt beautiful and sexy and appreciated... and she felt loved. She hadn't felt loved since she had told Harry she didn't want children – her confession had made it painfully obvious that he was only with her because of the child they had lost and for the children they might have had in the future.

She refused to feel guilty. Harry had barely talked to her in the past eight months, let alone looked at her. They occupied the same flat, but they weren't living together. All Harry ever did was study (which she couldn't begrudge him) and when he did have some free time at his hands, he would either read other stupid books (especially muggle novels; Ginny wondered if he did this deliberately so that she wouldn't be able to discuss the content with him), hang out with George or watch the telly. He never wanted to go out to dinner, meet up with the gang or even just hang out with her in the flat.

It was hard to pinpoint when things with her and Neville had started. They had been flirting since October, but it had been totally innocent, more for fun than actually having it mean something. In the beginning of December she had noticed how she longed for the evenings she would go out with the gang, solely because she knew that Neville would be there. Without thinking about it, she had started giving him more attention, a natural response to the attention she was receiving from him. On New Year's Eve, they had found a quiet corner at the party they both had attended and right before midnight it had happened (Harry had been stuck at school); Neville had taken one of her hands in his, searched her eyes and face for a moment before he had leaned down and kissed her. She had kissed him back with fervor and immediately felt guilty – she was married for Merlin's sake!

They continued seeing each other with the rest of the gang, and while they shared secretive glances, nothing more had happened until February, when Neville finally had asked her to come to his flat so that they could talk things through. Once Neville confessed his very deep feelings for her, Ginny hadn't been able to refuse him. He was sweet, handsome and so clearly wanted and needed her. Something that Harry so clearly didn't. She had surrendered herself to Neville that night and with it she had felt alive again for the first time in several months.

In the beginning of their affair it had been difficult for them to meet up. Not only had Harry been in the flat more (he had been home three times a week PLUS his usual weekends due to immense studying for his theoretical exams at the end of March), meaning that Ginny couldn't leave the flat in the middle of the week, since none of the others in the gang had time to meet unless it was a weekend. She didn't fancy getting caught, knowing she would deeply shame her family if they ever found out – she couldn't really imagine how Harry would react, whether he would get angry or relieved; Ginny soon realized that she didn't really care.

At the end of April, they started taking risks, showing each other affection outside the confinement of Neville's flat. Only then did Neville voice his concerns about Harry, wondering if they were going to continue on in secrecy forever. He had fallen in love with her and wanted to be with her, wanted to make their relationship honest and real. Ginny had answered that she shared his wants and needs, but had been unable to tell him that she loved him, and thus had asked him to be patient a little longer. It was needless to say that Neville had complied.

Now it was early June, and Ginny had managed to confess her feelings for Neville a few days ago. She had yet to tell him that she loved him, but it would come, with time. It was terrifying, but she felt strangely relieved knowing that she would have to talk to Harry soon, but still wanted to wait until he had graduated from Auror school.

Neville's head snapped back when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Huh, I wonder who that could be," he mused and then he gave a shrug.

He kissed her gently before he left to open the door, knowing that he could get rid of whoever it was on the outside without much of a fuss.

He had not been prepared to see Harry Potter.

"H-harry? What are you d-doing here?" he managed to get out, stammering for the first time in several years.

Harry had simply looked at him for a moment and it had truly unnerved him.

"We need to talk, Neville."

"About what?"

Thinking back on it, Neville felt stupid for asking that question, that he hadn't realized that Harry had _known_. The boy who lived gave him a joyless smile.

"About you and Ginny. She's here, yeah?"

Neville froze, his mouth dropping in shock. His Gryffindor bravery aside, Neville suddenly felt afraid for the first time since his chat with Voldemort during the final battle.

"Neville, for Merlin's sake, I'm not going to harm either one of you," Harry snapped, finding the amount of fear in Neville's expression really annoying. "I just want to talk to you guys, because we can't continue like this. So please let me in."

And yet, Neville still wasn't moving. Harry contemplated just shoving his way inside, but that really wouldn't be a good idea to start out. He wanted to keep it hostile-free and civil; at least as hostile-free and civil as possible.

"Neville, who is it?"

Ginny's voice seemed to snapped Neville back to life. He jumped and turned his head slightly. Harry guessed that she was on her way over; the next moment, Neville opened the door more in order to answer her question without speaking (as he quite obviously hadn't found his tongue yet). Harry and Ginny's gazes locked and the young woman instantly froze. They just stared at each for quite some time, before Harry decided that this was getting ridiculous.

"Neville, please let me in."

Neville didn't move until Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Nev," she whispered as she pulled him deeper into the apartment. "Come on in, Harry."

Ginny lead Neville to the couch, while Harry followed, sitting down on a chair opposite of the couple. An awkward silence filled the living room and Harry wondered for the first time since he got here if this had been such a good idea, since neither of them seemed inclined to start the conversation.

"How did you...?" Ginny finally asked, her voice small.

"... find out?" Harry filled in and Ginny nodded. "Well, I've had my suspicions for a while now... Don't ask me why, it was just an instinct. But I hired a private investigator two weeks ago."

Ginny's eyes widened in horror while Neville frowned.

"A private investigator?" he repeated, and Harry was surprised at the amount of anger he heard in the other man's voice. "Why didn't you just come talk to us?"

Harry lifted an eyebrow, suddenly annoyed at Neville's accusative tone.

"Because I didn't know of your involvement until the investigator provided me with photos of the two of you snogging," he answered as he watched his friend through narrowed eyes. "I had no idea that I would dealing with a double betrayal – that one of my best friends would be screwing my wife hadn't even crossed my mind."

Neville had the decency to look slightly ashamed, but he still had a defiant look; Harry knew that he would jump in and defend Ginny no matter what he said.

"I didn't know you cared," Ginny suddenly snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as her narrowed at her husband. "You certainly don't seem very upset."

"Just because you can't tell that I'm upset, Ginny, doesn't mean anything. I must admit that I'm not upset about you cheating on me, because I had expected that and I've gotten used to the idea," Harry said and Ginny recoiled as if he had slapped her. "I care more about your choice of partner, as he happens to be one of my oldest friends."

He watched with some amusement that the couple didn't dare look at each other or him; they were currently staring down in their laps.

"Believe it or nor, I'm not angry with either of you," Harry continued with a small sigh. "I just want this resolved in the best way for all of us. However, I just want to know two things."

Ginny looked up at him, her head tilted as she waited for him to ask his first question.

"How long has this been going on?"

He listened in silence while his wife told him how their relationship had progressed in as much detail as possible while still trying to be brief. She confessed that she had felt extremely guilty in the beginning and then when she realized that Harry was doing everything he could to alienate himself from her, she stopped feeling guilty and started enjoying the thing she had with Neville. While she spoke, Neville interjected when he thought it was necessary.

"Alright," Harry said when she had finished and he studied Ginny a moment before he asked his next question. "Ginny, do you love Neville?"

Ginny blushed and immediately averted her gaze. Neville wanted to throttle Harry; he knew Ginny hadn't come to terms with her feelings for him yet and he certainly didn't want her to confess them to Harry before she confessed them to him.

"Ginny, don't answer that," Neville snapped, while glaring at Harry.

Both Ginny and Harry's gazes immediately turned to him. Harry raised an eyebrow in question when he noticed the other mans intense glare, wondering what in Merlin's name he had done to deserve such a threatening look.

"Harry, no offense, but I don't want you to get that answer before me," Neville offered in explanation. "She knows that I love her, and I have given her all the time in the world to understand her own feelings."

Harry glanced at Ginny and he knew straight away that she had already known that Neville loved her. No wonder she hadn't been able to stay away from the man; why on earth would she want to when she had someone who actually loved her and could give her everything Harry couldn't?

"Fine, I can respect that," Harry finally said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Ginny, can you at least tell me if you are opposed to the idea of us divorcing?"

If she did then she had really only been with him for the money.

"I... No. No, I'm not opposed to that idea."

Harry noticed that Neville's shoulders dropped in relief, an obvious sign to him that his friend wasn't one hundred percent sure of Ginny's affection.

"But it is possible?" Ginny asked, her eyes full of worry. "Mum once told me that magical marriages are for life."

"Usually they are," Harry answered as he smirked, "but you have to admit that when it comes to me, nothing is ever usual."

Ginny narrowed her eyes in suspicion, wondering what he could be planning, while Neville simply chuckled slightly.

"It is possible to get divorced in the wizarding world; however, many of the ancient, pure-blooded families have been trying for decades to make it illegal, which I think might have to do with the fact that witches and wizards today don't fancy doing what they're told and marrying the people their parents want them to."

The couple across from him looked confused, both not sure where he was going with this.

"Meaning, that those who are forced to marry due to various marriage contracts made by their parents, _can_ later on divorce, since their parents can't do anything about that," Harry explained. "In other words, most pure-blooded families drill it into their children that divorce is impossible."

He paused to make sure that the other two were with on the same page.

"However, while it's not illegal, it's difficult and strongly discouraged. Only extreme situations will grant a couple to divorce. And please forgive me, Ginny, but that's one reason why I hired the private investigator – to get proof of your infidelity."

Neville shot to his feet with a snarl and the next moment he had his wand pointed at Harry. The boy who lived looked surprised, and while not the least scared he seemed weary.

"I won't let you ruin Ginny's name, Harry," Neville growled as he shot Harry a warning look mixed with a glare.

"For Merlin's sake, Neville, lower you wand and _sit down_," Ginny demanded as she caught Harry's gaze and rolled her eyes.

She waited for Neville to do as he was told and then she took his face in between her hands and gave him a very serious look.

"I ruined my own name the minute I shared your bed, Neville," she told him and when he started protesting she pressed a firm kiss to his lips. "It was a choice I made knowing full well what might happen if the truth came out. I don't care about my name, Nev. Maybe when this is all over you might let me share yours."

Neville's eyes bulged in shock and he stared at the witch in front of him for several seconds before he launched himself at her, kissing her with such passion that Harry blushed and averted his gaze. After a minute, when it was obvious to him that the couple had forgotten his presence, he loudly cleared his throat. Nothing.

"Oi!" he shouted and watched with some satisfaction that Ginny and Neville seemed truly startled.

He didn't think he would be this genuinely happy for them; he had expected to feel betrayed for a lot longer, but apparently his brain didn't mind the new couple. All it really meant was that there was a little more love in the world... Who was he to have a problem with that? He waited a moment for them to compose themselves and then he continued where he had been interrupted.

"I will do all in my power to make sure this whole thing is as quiet as possible; I don't really want you to get all the blame either, Ginny, and I think you both know that. Now, I doubt the fact that your infidelity will be enough and I'm hoping that, well... being _me_, might help. You know I've never abused my status as the boy who lived or the boy who destroyed Voldemort; I've never asked the Ministry for anything."

He came to a pause and gave Ginny a searching look. She had told him that she didn't want any children... He wondered if she still would feel that way with Neville.

"Another thing that will work in our favor...," he started and then hesitated, wondering how Neville would react. "... is the fact that you told me you don't want children. As the last of my line, I should be able to demand a divorce in order to marry someone who can give me an heir."

Ginny's gaze dropped to her hands, afraid of seeing the look in Neville's eyes. She had never realized it before, but he was the last of his line too... Would this mean that she wouldn't be good enough for Neville either? She felt a warm hand grasp hers.

"It doesn't matter," was all Neville said.

It was quiet for a moment. Harry checked his watch; it was starting to get late and he hadn't had dinner yet. He wanted to get this over with and go home.

"Perhaps that, along with the fact that my wife loves another man, might be enough to persuade them. Otherwise, I'll think of something else."

"And then what, Harry? What will you do when this is over? Go straight to Hogwarts?" Ginny wondered as he searched his face for the answer.

Harry immediately tensed, knowing full well that Ginny was not asking if he would go to _Hogwarts_ but to _Hermione_. He had not allowed himself to think that far ahead, hadn't allowed himself a shred of hope. Heck, he didn't even know if he would be allowed to divorced Ginny.

"I don't know what the future holds for me," he finally murmured as he studied his fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "All I want now is for us to get divorced so that we can both actually start _enjoying_ life."

Ginny didn't comment on that but silently agreed. She may have loved Harry once, but she knew now that it had been nothing compared to how she felt about Neville.

"Do you think mum will disown me?" she wondered, half-serious, half-joking.

Harry's eyes snapped to meet hers and noticed the worried glint in her eyes.

"She shouldn't," he answered with a small, reassuring smile. "She's your mum, Gin – she should want you to be happy above all else."

Ginny didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded as she acknowledged the truth of his words. Soon, Harry was on his way back home, feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted of his shoulders. He felt free suddenly, even though he knew there still was a long way ahead; he had faced Voldemort and had ended up victorious. Now he would face the Ministry of Magic... They couldn't be worse than the Dark Lord, could they?

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Hermione, have you seen today's paper?" Severus asked her, a cup of tea in one hand and the _Daily Prophet_ in the other.

Hermione looked up, her eyes wide; he knew better than to disturb her first thing in the morning! She always, _always _breastfed Toby at nine o'clock in the mornings and he knew not to enter the living room area then.

"Er, Severus...," was all she managed to say before he looked up from the paper.

"Oh, dear Merlin!" Severus yelped and he quickly spun on his heel, managing to spill most of his tea on his robes. "OW!"

Hermione winced as she fought the urge to run after him so that she could to help him.

"Are you alright?" she shouted in order to be heard over the sound of running water.

"Fine!" he shouted back, and then added as an afterthought, "Sorry!"

Hermione personally didn't care if Severus saw her breastfeed her son; it was, after all a very natural thing, something that all mothers all over the world did. He had also been with her when Toby had been born... No, she really didn't care.

Severus, however, had flinched away from her the first time she had folded down her bra, making lame excuses about grading papers. During the four months since Toby was born, Severus had caught her breastfeeding three times, including today's mishap, and it had always ended the same way; with Severus burning himself on hot liquid. She had thus set up a simple rule; do not enter the living room before eleven o'clock in the mornings and never after seven o'clock in night. This meant, since Severus spent most of his days teaching, that the ruled simply was to never enter the living room.

"What on earth did you want me to see so badly that you forgot the living room rule?" Hermione hollered, knowing that Toby wouldn't give a damn that she was being so loud.

"I'll show you when you come back out," came the Potion Master's reply.

Half an hour later, Hermione joined Severus in the kitchen, who had busied himself with making her breakfast while he had waited. She held out Toby towards him and she noticed a smile appearing on Severus' lips as he took the boy from her. She was still amazed how easy it had been for surly, dungeon bat to accept the boy in his life.

"Now, where's the paper?" Hermione asked as she sat down, casting a warming charm on her tea.

"Eat first," Severus answered simply, his black eyes focused on the boy in his arms.

Hermione frowned, but shrugged her shoulders. She buttered some toast, not feeling up for marmalade today, and took a large portion of the fresh fruit he had cut up. She ate in silence, watching and immensely enjoying the interaction between Severus and her son; Severus was making silly faces and Toby was gurgling with delight. Hermione could barely believe that _Severus Snape_ was so... _playfull._

"Alright, all done. Now give me the paper."

Severus did so, and at the same time she noticed his expression. It seemed like he wanted her to read it, but at the same time it looked as if he wanted to hide it somewhere. Hermione's heart sank. This really couldn't be good. She turned her attention to the paper and immediately the headline screamed at her;

HARRY POTTER DIVORCED!

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and she hurried to the unfold the paper in order to read the article. It was very short, but was accompanied by several huge pictures of Harry; Ginny was only seen in one of them and had obviously been taken as they had left the Ministry.

_The famous Harry Potter, also known as the _boy-who-lived-to-conquer-he-who-must-not-be-named_,_ _has today finalized his divorce from Ginerva Potter née Weasly. Usually the Ministry does not allow just anyone to divorce, but this reporter is well aware of the fact that Mr Potter is not just anyone. While the details have not been revealed, the once married couple seem to be on good terms with each other. This reporter hopes to uncover the reasons behind the divorce and will strive to gain a personal interview with Harry Potter himself._

Hermione snorted, knowing full well that Harry never would dream of sitting down for an interview with Rita Skeeter. The next moment, the meaning of the words she had just read came to her – Harry was divorced. In other words, he was free to come back to her...

_No! _her brain screamed to her. _Don't just take it for granted that he still wants you! Remember how deeply he hurt you! And remember Toby – is he really ready to know about Toby?_

"What's going on in that brilliant mind of yours, Hermione? You look ready to break down in tears."

She looked up at him, blinked rapidly and the next moment, she did break down in tears. However, she had no idea why, and that revelation only made her cry harder.

"I don't know!" Hermione wailed in explanation as she noticed the questioning look in the Potion Master's expression.

He simply watched her for a moment. Then he sighed, got to his feet and swiftly handed her the boy, knowing full well that she would calm down easier if she had him in her embrace. He let her take her time to calm down and then he took a deep breath, knowing in advance that their next conversation would not end well.

"Now would be a good time to tell him, Hermione," he said softly, trying his best not to cringe from the anticipation of her reaction.

Hermione flinched and glared at the man she had come to love as her father.

"Can't you give me _some_ time to process this before you go and say something like that?" Hermione hissed furiously, her arms tightening a little around Toby. "I found out ten minutes ago that Harry is free from Ginny and the Weasley clan; GIVE ME A MOMENT, WILL YOU?"

With that she shot from the chair and stormed off to her room. Severus sighed heavily, knowing now that it still would be hard for him to convince her to go to Harry. Why though? Why was she still afraid to tell Harry that he had a son?

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry couldn't believe how he possibly could be so interesting. It wasn't as if he had vanquished a Dark Lord lately or done anything else heroic. No, he had gotten _divorced_ which of course automatically made him front page news _every fucking single day._ The divorce had been final for a week, and everywhere he went, no one would leave him alone. Witches and wizards of every age would come up and ask how he was coping, if he wanted to go out on a blind date with a daughter, a niece or even a mother (the boy who had asked that had in fact been four years old and wanted his mommy to be happy again; maybe Harry could oblige?).

The only thing Harry wanted was to be left alone.

Why couldn't the wizarding community just leave him alone? It was one thing that his friend asked him how he was doing and what had happened between him and Ginny. It was another, not okay, thing that members of the press had set up camp on the patch of grass outside of his apartment building.

He left the window he had been staring out of to watch the reporters, and stalked into his room in order to pack. He was done with this shit; he needed a break from wizarding Britain and he needed to get over Hermione for real. Earlier this morning he had handed in his resignation to Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had been shocked to say the least; the young wizard had, after all, only been an auror for a month. Harry had been adamant and Kingsley had promised his that he would take him back whenever he wanted to.

When he was done packing, he threw some floo powder into the fireplace; he needed to talk to George. At least one person should be told that he was leaving for a while since he really didn't want anyone to worry about him.

"Good morning, mate," George said with a smile. "Will this quick? I was just headed over to the shop."

"I'm going on a long vacation," Harry said bluntly. "I need to get away from all the craziness for a while. There are members of the bloody press across the street from my apartment; they've put up a tent, so I'm guessing they're planning on staying for a while."

George looked outraged.

"You have got to be kidding me," the older wizard hissed. "Can they do that?"

Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, don't care. Listen, I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, and I've told Barney not to deliver me mail. I'm sure your owl could still find me, but please refrain from writing to me unless it's an emergency. I need a clean break from... everything that is my life."

George gave him a sympathetic look and just nodded.

"I'll spread the word to the others. Any idea how long you'll be gone?"

"No," came Harry's short reply. "All I can tell you is that I'm planning on going down to New Zealand; I've always wanted to go there."

George looked surprised, but chose not to comment.

"I just need to say two things then, Harry," the redhead said and gave the younger man a stern look. "One – please be careful. Two – if you miss my wedding I'll hunt you down and hex you into oblivion."

Harry snorted, but was glad for the reminder; he hadn't really given George and Angelina's wedding much thought lately. Well, at least now he knew that he couldn't be gone longer than two months. The date had been set to August 31st, the day before Hogwarts went back into session.

"I'll be back by then," Harry promised with a small smile. "Take care, George. Please give everyone my regards and tell your mum not to worry."

George chuckled while he nodded, waving his hand in goodbye. Harry pulled his head out of the fire, grabbed his bag and apparated to the apparation point in the alley by the Leaky Cauldron so that he wouldn't alert the press of his absence. He waled quickly through the streets of Muggle London and hailed the first taxi he came across.

"Heathrow airport, please."

Leaving the magic world behind also meant trying his best to live as a muggle, which of course meant that he would have to fly to New Zealand. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was certainly going to be an adventure.

AN: Big thanks to all my reviewers and devoted readers!


	12. Meddling

Chapter Twelve

Meddling

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_it must come as a shock to receive a letter from none other than the greasy-haired dungeon bat. I have long contemplated writing to you, and as you can see, I finally made up my mind to do it. I cannot imagine the distress you might feel whilst reading this letter, but I am concerned about Hermione. I know you have not been in contact with her for some time, but I believe that you are the only one who can help her. She rarely smiles, barely eats and, quite frankly, seems to be depressed. She would not be happy if she knew that I was writing to you. However, you, and you alone, can help her back to life._

_- S. Snape_

Harry stared at the short letter in his hands with wide eyes. While he had thought about Hermione every single day on his trip, how and when to attempt to contact her, he didn't think that he would be thrown back into her life this way. According to _Snape_, of all people, she needed him. Why on earth would the Potion Master think that Hermione needed him? They hadn't spoken to each other in over fourteen months! It bothered him that the dungeon bat was the one to write to him about concerns for his once best friend... And then he winced, realizing that Snape was probably the only one Hermione had to confide in.

He noticed the date up in the corner; this letter had been written three weeks ago. He wondered how he had would've felt if he gotten this letter while still on his trip. He would have rushed home, certainly, dropping everything in order to help Hermione. Suddenly he was glad that he had told Barney not to bring him mail, to leave it in the apartment. He sighed and tossed the letter on to the table, strongly conflicted about what to do now. If Snape had known how much agony this would cause him, would he still have sent this cryptic note? Harry thought about this and he also pondered why Hermione would need him.

He jumped when he heard a voice hollering his name in the living room; who in Merlin's name was calling him through the floo at this hour? Rushing towards the fireplace, he was surprised to see that it was George.

"Hi George," he said, not quite managing to keep the surprise out of his tone. "Did you know I'd be home today?"

"How could I possibly know that?" George said and rolled his eyes. "You might have told me where you were going, but I had no idea when you were coming home. I've been calling at nine o'clock every night for the last two weeks and if you look at your watch you'll see that it's nine pm. Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?"

Harry felt a pang of guilt, but pushed it away. He had done what he had thought to be right at the time, convinced that he done simply what his heart had told him to do. His seven weeks in New Zealand had been great; he had felt like a normal person for once, no one had recognized him at all and he refused to let it become something he might regret. However, he had to admit that he could have handled things a little better.

"I'm getting married in a week," George continued, his eyes sparkling. "And as you might remember, I asked you to be my best man, since I didn't want any of my other brothers to try to fill Fred's shoes. And I'm going to be needing some help. Now, can I count on you, or are you going to take off again?"

Harry couldn't help wincing – George was sure milking this all he could and Harry instinctively knew that he wouldn't be hearing the end of this for a very long time. Especially Mrs Weasley would be fussing over him, even though he had divorced her daughter. While she hadn't been happy over the divorce, she had informed Harry that he always would be apart of the family.

"George, please don't patronize me. Why do you think I came home now?" he asked, hoping that his lie never would come around and bite him in the ass.

There was no way that he would admit that it had completely slipped his mind that George's wedding was coming up in seven days.

"Of course I'll help. As for me just taking off, I'm sorry about that. I just... had to go. I had to get away from the press, had to do something for myself for a change. It was time for me to find myself."

It was quiet for a moment.

"So did you?"

Harry blinked in confusion.

"Did I what?" he wondered, not following the redhead at all.

George let out a frustrated sigh.

"Find yourself."

Harry just looked at the redhead for a moment, pondering the question; he really didn't know if he had found himself, but he had managed to sort of a lot of things in his mind. However, he still had no idea how to handle the Hermione situation.

"I… think so," he finally said, choosing a white lie over a very long explanation. "Look, I have to go. I'm tired and I want to take a shower. Why don't you come by tomorrow?"

He hoped that he didn't sound rude, but George was a master of getting information out of people and Hermione was the last person Harry wanted to discuss right now. After Snape's cryptic note, he didn't even want to think about her. If he allowed himself to worry about her, he would run off straight to Hogwarts without thinking things through.

"I work all day tomorrow, it's Friday," George answered. "But the shop opens late on Saturday, so how about if I come by for breakfast?"

Harry agreed to this and George's head disappeared. He sighed deeply and threw himself on to the couch. For ten minutes he just sat there, thinking about nothing in particular. After a moment he reached for the old photo album on the shelf under the coffee table and flipped through the pages of pictures. When he got to a picture of him and Hermione, he paused, enjoying the way they laughed and waved at him. Maybe he should go see her. He had, after all, not seen her since the night before his wedding... She had been so furious at first, but that had ended when they... Harry closed his eyes, trying not to think about it. Maybe she wasn't mad now either. She was the one who had left him in the morning, after all.

He let out a frustrated sound as he shut the album with a bang. Damn that Snape! Why did he have to mess up his head again? _Because Hermione needs you_, a voice in his head said. _Then she should tell you so herself_! came the retort inside his head._ But he said…_

"Enough!" Harry bellowed and shot from the couch.

The voices in his head went silent. Then he sighed.

"Wonderful," he said. "I'm losing my head all over again."

Shaking his head slowly at this new misfortune, he went to the kitchen to get a beer.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Severus, we're back!"

Hermione shut the door after her and pushed the stroller a little further into the hall. Snape joined them just as Hermione had taken off her cloak; it was an unusually cold August evening . He gave her a smile and then he bent down to pick up the little boy he had come to care for very much from the stroller. Toby let out a cry of joy when he was taken into his arms and he gave him a clumsy kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," Snape said and kissed him back on both cheeks.

The three of them made their way to the little pantry in a corner of their quarters. Hermione sank down on to the nearest chair while Toby was put in his crib. Snape poured some coffee into a cup and put it in front of her.

"Much needed," she said and smiled thankfully.

She was exhausted. She loved her son, but Merlin did the boy like to keep her mother up in the middle of the night.

"Hermione, you need a good nights sleep," Snape said as he sat down across from her. "Let me have Toby in my room tonight."

He had been worried about her for a long time, but even more so the last couple of weeks. She didn't do nearly half the work she should be doing during her days, because she had plenty to do with Toby and at night she was still often woken to tend to her crying son. If she didn't start taking care of herself, she would probably get sick.

Hermione sighed and took a sip of her coffee as she studied him for a second. Weird, the concerned tone in his voice was undeniable and yet she couldn't detect any worry in his features.

"Fine, but just for tonight," she answered.

She turned her gaze towards the crib, where Toby was crawling around his stuffed animals.

"George called through the floo while you were out," Snape said after a while.

He looked carefully at her while he said this, searching for any signs indicating that she was overjoyed by this news. She wasn't. She just looked away from the crib and met his gaze with a neutral stare. Snape sighed silently, relieved, as it didn't seem like she had any romantic interest in him.

"Oh?" Hermione said and quirked her eyebrow. "Did he want anything special?"

Snape shrugged his shoulders.

"I can imagine he wants to beg you to come to his wedding. And I almost let slip that you have a son."

"Severus!" Hermione gasped, suddenly outraged.

Snape didn't even blink. He just flipped through the mail and seemed oblivious to the change of mood in the room, but in reality he was in fact just plain ignoring her. Toby, on the other hand, had jumped at the sound of her mothers' harsh tone. He tilted his head and stared at his mother with a mixed expression of curiosity and fear. Hermione noticed this when she glanced towards the crib and she winced as she saw the expression on his face.

"Sorry, honey," she said softly to the boy and when Toby's attention returned to the animals, Hermione turned her gaze back to the Potions Master.

She was glaring at him now.

"Why do you keep bringing that up?" she demanded to know, her voice pleading. "What good would it do to tell him _now_?"

"Because Potter has the right to know that he has a child! That he is a father!"

His voice was low and well tempered, but he was very determined. He met the young witch's gaze.

"I understand why you felt you couldn't tell him before, Hermione, I really do; the fact that Toby could have been taken from you is a valid reason not to tell Potter of his son. However, Potter is no longer married, meaning that your once solid reasoning is null and void. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Toby needs his father, Hermione."

"This is not up to you, Severus! It's my decision whether or not to tell Harry, my decision to let him back into our lives."

"And you are entitled to think so, Hermione, but I am beginning to think that you are choosing not to tell him simply out of pure stubbornness. I have told you that from the start, Hermione, that I have never approved about Harry not knowing. Have you not told him by Toby's first birthday, I will."

With that said, he flipped open the Daily Prophet and held it up in front of his face. Hermione's mouth had dropped in shock at his warning. As soon as his words had sunk in, she stormed out of the room, a loud "harrumph!" escaping her lips, and raced off to her room, slamming the door as loudly as she could. Snape put down the paper and looked over at to the boy in the crib.

"Don't worry," Snape said softly. "Your mother will lighten up sooner of later. You'll have a father before you know it."

Toby stared at him and then tilted his head. Snape sighed, wondering why he was waisting time talking to a boy that was barely six months old. But just as he was going to turn back to his mail, Toby let out a delighted laugh and clapped his hands, and then the next moment he went back to playing with his stuffed animals. Snape stared at him and couldn't help wondering if the boy on some level had understood him after all. He shook his head and returned to his mail, grumbling under his breath. He was only six month and only made gurgling noises and babbling. There was no way he could have understood him.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

An hour later, Hermione had calmed down enough to get back to George. Throwing a hand of floo-powder into the fireplace in her room, she silently hoped she wasn't making a mistake – she knew he was just going to try to get her to come to his wedding.

"Hey, you," George said as soon as he recognized her face. "It's been a while. How are you?"

Hermione let out a heavy sigh, making George chuckle slightly.

"That bad, eh?"

"No, not at all. I'm just tired," Hermione said and rubbed her eyes. "I've been having trouble sleeping."

They made small talk for fifteen minutes or so, and Hermione had realized after only a few minutes how much she had missed talking to him. All the preparations for George's wedding were coming along great and the big day was only a week away. George requested once more that she come to the wedding, just as she had predicted and Hermione finally said "maybe" – George was thrilled, since it was definitely better than the "no" he had gotten for the past months.

"Harry's back," George said suddenly, just as they were rounding up the phone call.

Hermione sucked her breath in. Why did everything have to be about Harry? George had tried to get her to come over again and again when he knew Harry was going to be at his place and had done this ever since George had understand that Harry and Ginny were only husband and wife in name. Snape told her almost every day that she should at least write to him. For some reason she couldn't just bring herself to do it.

"How was his trip?" she wondered, hiding all traces of emotion as she schooled her features into the expressionless mask she had learned from Snape.

"I haven't talked all that much to him yet," he answered with a small shrug. "I'm going over for breakfast tomorrow."

He hesitated for a second.

"Why don't you come with me?"

Hermione bit her tongue to stop the outburst that wanted to get out. No, she wasn't going to get mad at George as well. She was sure he had the best intentions for always suggesting that she should get back in contact with him.

"No, George, I'm not going with you," she said calmly. "I know you've always sided with us, and I appreciate it – I really do. But Harry and I are over. We have been ever since he chose to go back to Ginny."

"He only did that because he got her pregnant!" George burst out, frustration finally getting the better of him. "Not because he stopped loving you! And when Ginny lost the baby, Harry had to stay with her and–"

"You know that, do you?" Hermione cut in. "Has he told you that?"

George went quiet for a moment.

"He stayed with her because he thought they would try for another baby," he finally said with a sigh. "And then when Ginny said she didn't want kids anymore, things changed. Neither one of them were happy, and I suspect a lot of that has to do with that he never stopped loving you."

Hermione sighed sadly. She knew that she would still be Harry's girlfriend if Ginny hadn't gotten pregnant. Maybe even his wife, by now. Everything would be so different – she might have missed the add in the _Prophet_ about the apprenticeship at Hogwarts and she probably wouldn't have befriended Severus. There would be no Toby and perhaps she wouldn't be this unhappy.

It suddenly hit her – she was unhappy. Very much so.

Being without Harry truly made her unhappy. She needed Harry if she wanted to be happy for real. She wanted him to help raise their child. She wanted to live the rest of her days in Harry's embrace, being his one and only until the day she died. How in Merlin's name had she not seen this until now? Now she had gotten a new chance to be with Harry; they had been divorced for almost two months, and from what she had been told by George, they hadn't even really been together since she lost the baby.

How on earth was she supposed to tell him that she couldn't live a normal, happy life without him? She had concealed that he had fathered a child on purpose. Would he be able to forgive her? _You could start by going to George's wedding and at least meet him_, a voice inside her head said. Yes, that she would do.

And that she would do.

"George, I'm coming to your wedding," she said suddenly.

George was quiet for a while, the shocked expression on his face making her smile.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked incredulously.

If hadn't been for the serious situation, she would have laughed at his tone.

"If the invitation still is valid, I would like to come to your wedding. But you can't tell _him_."

She said "him" with a dead serious tone to her voice, so there would be no doubt who she meant.

"Wouldn't dream of it," George hurried to say. "And of course the invitation still is valid – I've been trying to get you to come for ages. Though, I get the feeling that you're not coming for me."

He was teasing her. Well, she would tease him right back.

"Of course I'm coming for you," she told him innocently. "Why else would I come to a party where I know that half of the guests will hate me?."

She bit her lip gently, waiting for his reply.

"Um, I don't know," George answered, sounding like a five year old. "Maybe to tell my best man that you luuuuv him?"

Hermione let out a laugh at that, rolling her eyes at him. She had no intention of telling Harry that she loved him, nor that he had a son. Not right away, anyway. Before anything else, she had to make sure that they hadn't grown apart completely, that there could be trust between them again. There was a knock on the door and a second later Severus peeked his head inside the doorway.

"Hermione, I think Toby's hungry," he said and then left again.

Hermione's head disappeared out of the fireplace, and she closed her eyes as she said a silent prayer that George hadn't heard him.

"Who's Toby?" he wondered curiously.

Hermione smacked the palm of her hand to her forehead. Of course she wouldn't be that lucky. _Quick, quick, I need a lie._ She picked the first thing that came to mind and then threw her head back into the fireplace.

"Um, he's my new cat. I've had him for about two weeks. Severus said that he would only allow the ball of fur to stay if he had no part in the upbringing, so I guess I'll have to close here."

"Alright. Take care then, Hermione. I'll talk to you later and see you in next Friday."

He left little room for her to argue with him. She had told him that she was coming and they both knew that she couldn't back out of it now. He would personally come to Hogwarts, drag her to the nearest apparation point and restrain her to a seat if he was forced to.

"Yes, you will, George," she said softly. "Take care!"

Hermione dragged herself back out to the pantry. Snape was cooking them dinner and her son was sitting in the middle of the crib, looking very sad and forgotten.

"Hi, baby," Hermione said fondly as she picked him up. "Let's feed you, shall we?"

She smiled and nuzzled Toby's cheek. The little boy dropped his grudge and happily kissed his mother.

"I'll be right back," she said to Severus and then made her way back to her room to breastfeed Toby.

While her son ate, or rather, drank, Hermione thought about how life with Harry could be. It could be sweet and romantic, like their relationship had been during those two months. Or it could be stormy and chaotic, like the last year had been... But she doubted that. If they were to get back together, it would be because it was something they both wanted. That meant that neither of them would let it get stormy or chaotic. They would finally have the happiness they both deserved.

A gurgling sound snapped Hermione out of her thoughts. Toby was done and waving an arm in the air. Hermione pulled her shirt down and joined the Potions Master, turned master chef in the summer time, in the kitchen again.

"So, your son is a cat now?" he wondered as he stirred the vegetable soup as if stirring a potion.

Hermione sighed as she sat down with Toby on her lap. She kissed the boy's forehead before meeting her Severus' scathing look.

"Severus, please," she said, sounding almost desperate. "I need you stop pressuring me. It's stressing me out even more."

He turned towards her, the tone of her voice startling him. He stared at her for a long time and then he finally nodded, much to Hermione's surprise.

"You're right. I can see it now," he admitted, turning back to the soup "I am sorry that I have not noticed it before, Hermione. But you must know that I only push the matter because I want what is best for you, and for Toby. You can't live with the greasy dungeon bat forever and Toby's needs his father."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Snape raised his eyebrows, looking slightly surprised.

"And I need Harry," she finally confessed. "Since Toby was born, I've thought that I could handle being a parent on my own. But it's taken me almost half of a year to realize that I haven't been happy… for a long time. Not really. I need Harry to feel that my life has purpose, you know? I need someone to share my life with, and Harry… Harry is the only one I can do that with. Harry has always been the only one. Do you understand what I mean?"

Snape smiled at her and gently nodded – he understood perfectly well how much she needed Harry to survive. He had seen it in the way she spoke about him and in the small gestures of contentment whenever she said his name out loud. He might not now much about love, but he understood that well enough.

"I'm going to George's wedding."

Hermione was hit in the head by Toby's waving hand, but instead of looking at her, Hermione glanced up at Snape. The next moment, she rolled her eyes. He was proud of her. It was obvious, since he was beaming so much.

"I don't want to spring Toby on him. I need to know that there still is some kind of bond between us. Can he stay with you then?"

Snape sat down in front of her and gently patted her hand.

"Of course," he said softly. "I promise not to bring this up anymore, okay?"

Hermione smiled and nodded happily.

"Now put your cat in the crib so that we can eat dinner."

He smiled when Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. It was strange; a year ago he never would have even imagined that he would have such a close friendship with Hermione Granger, the annoying know-it-all that once had driven him insane. He had come to care very deeply for her; in her he saw the daughter he never had thought he would want and in her son, the grandson he never would've gotten. Who ever would've thought that he would come to love anyone so unconditionally?

They enjoyed their soup and ended the evening with a game of chess. Later on, Hermione slept the whole night through for the first time since Toby was born.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Harry Potter!" George greeted Harry when the door swung open, his voice booming.

Harry had just enough time to brace himself for the crunching hug he knew was bound to come.

"Hi, George," he gasped and pushed his friend back. "Really, there's no need to squeeze all the air out of me."

George laughed as he walked inside Harry's apartment and then handed him a bag of groceries. Harry gave him a puzzled look.

"I didn't know if you had been to a store yet," George explained with a shrug.

He followed Harry to the kitchen.

"You've called me once everyday since I left, but you couldn't simply ask me if I had what's needed for breakfast?" Harry wondered and gave him a pointed look.

George just rolled his eyes and slapped the younger wizard on the shoulder.

"This is the last time I'll buy you food."

Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes

"Fine, fine. Thank you very much for the food, George," Harry said and started packing up the bag. "But you do realize that I had absolutely nothing eatable in my fridge after being gone for two months and going out shopping for food was the first thing I did yesterday?"

George just shrugged his shoulders.

"That would mean that you think that I think rationally. Since when do I think rationally?"

"Good point," Harry answered. "Let's cut the crap and make some food already. I'm starving."

The boys made scrambled eggs and bacon, cut some fresh fruit into pieces and made a pot of coffee. While doing this, George hurled questions at Harry about his trip, but as they sat down to eat, the conversation slipped into being mostly about George's wedding. Then, out of the blue, George wondered if Harry had talked to Hermione yet.

"You too?" Harry nearly yelled and slammed his fist on the table. "Why does everyone think that I will automatically call Hermione just because my marriage is over?"

Harry's eyes flashed with annoyance, but George just took another sip of his coffee, not even looking that surprised at the younger man's outburst.

"Everyone, huh? Who else, Harry, beside me?"

Oh, so George thought that he was _exaggerating_.

"Everyone I've talked to since I came home. You, Luna, Neville, Ginny..."

He had gone by Neville's flat yesterday with the last of Ginny's things. Their relationship was obviously thriving and Harry was happy for them. Neville had been the first to ask about Hermione, choosing to wait until Ginny was out of the room (she had taken her things to the bedroom), but his caution had really not been necessary, since it was the first thing Ginny said when she came back out.

Harry wondered what it would take for George to back off about Hermione and came to the conclusion that if he perhaps came clean about what had happened between Hermione and him before his wedding to Ginny, then maybe George would understand to some extent.

"Look, George, I need to tell you something. And you're either going to hate me or you're going to understand why I don't want to write to Hermione."

George frowned as he noticed Harry's pained look.

"Why would I hate you?" he asked and scratched his head.

Harry sighed and glanced up at the redhead, who was looking curious and worried at the same time. Would that look turn to a look of judgment, anger or hate if Harry told him what had happened? Sometimes it was still strange to him that he had gotten so close to Ron's brother in the past year... Knowing how badly he wanted Harry to get back together with Hermione, George would probably be thrilled about what had transpired that night.

"The night before the wedding… Hermione came by. She was mad at me for sending her a wedding invitation, wondering how I could be so cruel. We yelled at each other... The next thing I know, we're kissing – I don't remember who started it. One thing led to another and we ended up having sex."

After his last word, the kitchen grew deathly quiet. All that was heard was the soft humming of the freezer. George was staring at him with his mouth dropped and had an expression of pure shock on his face.

"You what?" George was finally able to say.

Harry would have laughed if the older wizard hadn't looked so angry.

"We had sex," he repeated and drank some coffee.

"I heard you the first time," George snapped coldly.

Harry raised his eyebrows, slightly concerned about his tone. Maybe George wouldn't approve after all.

"Then why did you…"

"Harry!" George yelled so forcefully that it made Harry jump.

Harry stared at George in shock – he couldn't remember ever seeing either of the twins looking and sounding angry. It was something he never wanted to experience again.

"What the hell were you thinking, getting married after spending a night with her?" George demanded. "She probably thought you were making love, not thinking that it was just sex! How could you marry Ginny after that?"

Harry shot from his chair, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Because when I woke up, Hermione was gone and right after I had read a note from her saying that she was sorry and that it had been a mistake, you guys burst in to get me ready! I didn't even have time to consider any other options than getting married. That's all I thought about during that entire day – the fact that she was gone. For good. I could feel it in my gut."

George stared at him, looking confused.

"She just left?"

Harry inhaled sharply to regain his composure. He sat down again.

"Yeah, I woke up and she was gone. I woke up, feeling absolutely content for the first time since that whole mess started and then reality came crashing down on me when I saw that she was gone. And you're right, we didn't have sex – we made love. It was beautiful; I've never felt anything like that before."

George sat in silence, taking in all of this new information. He understood why Hermione never had told him about this, but he was still a little disappointed. After so many letters and fire-calls in confidence, he had thought that she had could have at least considered telling him. But then again, it concerned the man who, up until two months ago, had been married to his sister.

"What's up, George?" Harry wondered and picked up his cup again. "You look… weird."

George hesitated for a moment. Then he sighed and turned his gaze out the window. Harry took a sip waited patiently for the older man to talk to him.

"Well, since you're being honest, I might as well be too. Hermione and I are in contact with each other. We have been since the whole mess started."

Harry choked on his coffee and coughed it up on the table. George looked disgusted, but went to get a paper towel, while Harry put his cup down, afraid that he would drop it.

"Why haven't you told me?" Harry wondered as he watched the older wizard clean up the coffee.

"She didn't want you to know and I didn't want to betray that trust," George answered simply with a small shrug.

The kitchen went quiet again.

"How is she?" Harry whispered, his tone almost pleading.

George thought about this for real for once. He stroke his lips as he figured out how to describe it best.

"Actually," he started, deciding to be blunt, "I'm a little worried about her. For the past year, she's always complained about being tired. It's been evident in her voice too – there's no real spark in it anymore. But she's got a new cat now, so maybe that'll cheer her up."

Harry frowned, looking confused.

"A new cat?" he repeated, sounding surprised. "Hermione swore she would never get a new cat after Crookshanks died – that it would hurt too much."

George shrugged his shoulder.

"Maybe she's changed her mind – feeling lonely and all. She named it Toby."

Harry frowned at that, thinking that it was a pretty weird name for a cat. Shouldn't cats be called things like Furball or Princess or Patches or something? Going from the name Crookshanks to Toby was strange. Harry mentally shrugged and then bowed his head when he remembered that George was worried about her too. George bent down with him, his eyes searching.

"Harry?" he said, sounding a bit worried.

Harry didn't answer him for a long time, but when he did his tone was serious.

"When I got home, there was a letter from Snape waiting for me on the kitchen table. He wants me to come to Hogwarts. He's worried about her too."

George held out his hands, as if he was asking an obvious question. Harry gave him a blank look.

"What are you waiting for?" George clarified, rolling his eyes at him.

Harry sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"What could I do for her?" he asked, sounding as sad as he looked. "I haven't been in contact with her since that night. I don't want to get hurt again."

George licked his lips, doing his best not to show the younger wizard how annoyed he was with him at the moment.

"_You_ don't want to get hurt again? Harry, what about her? Do you have any idea how much you hurt her when you didn't fight to keep her the first time around?"

Harry's head jerked up and he frowned for a moment.

"You've talked to her about that?"

George shook his head.

"She talked, once. I only listened."

The kitchen was once more filled with silence. Harry couldn't quite decipher how he felt at the moment. Uncomfortable, yes. Disturbed, absolutely. He wasn't at all thrilled by the fact that it seemed like George knew Hermione better than he did nowadays. At the same time he was glad that Hermione had someone besides Snape to talk to. He sighed as he picked up his coffee cup. All of a sudden, George jumped to his feet and started putting all the dishes away. He grabbed Harry's cup as he was about to take a sip, almost spilling coffee all over him.

"Hey!" Harry yelled, his tone indignant. "I was drinking that!"

"Yeah, well, you're done," George said as he poured the rest of the coffee down the drain. "If I have to, I will drag you to the gates of Hogwarts myself. Pack a bag – you're not leaving the grounds of our beloved school until you've settled your past."

Harry was so surprised that he couldn't move. Had George Weasley just ordered him around? He was done taking orders, and he would only start taking orders again _if_ he went back to being an Auror.

"George, don't…" Harry started, but was never allowed to finish.

"No, Harry, you don't! Don't try to be all hurt, don't try to get out of it. You know very well that Snape never would have written to you unless something was really wrong," George said with a reasonable calm. "And take this into account, Harry – Snape knows how close Hermione and I are now and how far you two have drifted apart."

The words hit Harry like a punch in the stomach.

"But he still wrote to _you_," George continued, choosing a softer tone. "That means that you, and you alone, can make things better. You _have_ to go."

Harry stared at George for a long time. Then, to George's surprise, he nodded.

"Get going then," George said, taking on the leader role again. "I'll surprise Snape, by flooing him directly for once, to let him know you're coming."

After nodding again, Harry shot out of the kitchen and into his bedroom. He pulled out a few t-shirts along with some underwear and socks, putting everything in a small duffel bag. Then he suddenly realized what he was doing.

He was going to see Hermione again.

The thought was almost ludicrous. It had been so long since he had seen her, heard her speak and smelled her scent. He shook his head and then quickly rushed to the closet and pulled out the box from inside it. It contained memories of Hermione, both from before they had been a couple and during that time. Right now, he really had so see one of the memories. He fumbled around the box until his fingers clasped one a cold, metal frame. He pulled it out, knowing exactly what he would see. He smiled down on the picture of them from the day they had been in Hogsmeade, without Ron, who had been serving detention with McGonagall. They were laughing and waving frantically.

"Harry, let's go!" George shouted, already halfway out the front door.

"Coming!" Harry yelled back.

He took one last look at the picture and his heart was filled with hope. Maybe they still could have a future together.

"There's only one way to find out," he whispered to himself and then he gently put the framed picture back in the box.


	13. Resolving the Past

AN: Big thanks to all my reviewers and loyal readers! Sorry for keeping you waiting.

Chapter Thirteen

Resolving the past

Harry looked around after he had apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, keeping his eyes on the lookout for Snape. He could hardly believe that he was so close to the castle that he had once called his home. Suddenly he felt uncertain if he had gotten enough time to get ready for meeting Hermione after all this time. But then again, there was a big chance he would never be ready, no matter how much time he got to prepare.

"Mr Potter."

Harry's eyes snapped to the left. Snape had been waiting just behind the gate with a small smile on his lips (was Harry seeing things?). After the gate had been opened, Harry held out his hand in greeting, which Snape took a firm grip of without hesitation.

"Thank you for coming, Mr Potter. You will understand what is so urgent in a little while."

With that said, he let Harry go and they started walking up the path towards the castle. They didn't speak much, but Harry had a thousand questions swarming around in his head. He started with the most important one.

"Professor, do I have to be worried? Is Hermione okay?"

Harry noticed that Snape hesitated with his answer, but gave him another one of those small smiles as he met the younger man's wondering gaze.

"Hermione is… stubborn. And very tired. In short, there is nothing wrong with her physically. You do not need to concern yourself about that at least."

_Hermione is stubborn?_ What was that supposed to mean?

"So can you tell me why you needed me to come here?" Harry plowed on.

Snape shook his head, making Harry raise his eyebrows.

"When you meet her, you will understand," Snape said softly, and then promptly changed the subject. "So, tell me, Mr Potter, what are you up to these days?"

Harry stared at the man in disbelief. He wasn't going to tell him anything more? _Merlin, this better be good_, he thought and shook his head slightly.

"Well, seeing that I quit my job when I went to New Zealand, I need see if the Aurors will take me back," he answered and lifted a shoulder. "It shouldn't be a problem, Kingsley said he wouldn't hesitate to take me back. Besides, I am the boy-who-lived – who are they to deny me?"

His voice was dripping of sarcasm.

"Who, indeed?" Snape murmured, meeting Harry's eyes with a questioning look. "Being an Auror – is that truly what you wish to do for a living?"

Harry sighed at that and pondered the question seriously.

"I honestly don't know. During my Hogwarts days, I thought being an Auror was the best way for me to survive the war. Well, the war is over. Apart from that, I've never really known what I've wanted to do with my life. I guess I have some real thinking to do about my future."

_If you only knew_, Snape thought and smiled a little. He wondered how Hermione would react to Harry coming here. She would probably think that he had gone behind her back and would not be pleased. Well, he _had_ gone behind her back in a way, by writing to Harry, but at least he had done it three weeks before he had promised to leave her alone. He hadn't expected Harry to show up after all this time.

"So tell me, Mr Potter – how was New Zealand?" Snape wondered next, noticing the look of surprise on Harry's face.

Harry was astonished for two reasons – one, that Snape had known that he had been away and two, who _was_ this man? This could not be Severus Snape, snarky, bad-tempered Potions Master that had loathed him while he had been a student. This man was much to... _nice_ for that.

"I have always wanted to go to that region of the world," Snape continued, ignoring Harry's gaping mouth, "but as you can imagine, I have never had the time."

Harry clamped his mouth shut and then thought back on his seven weeks with a big smile on his face.

"It was… beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. The sunsets were incredible. I even took the time one morning after two weeks to watch the sunrise, and after that I was hooked – I got up in time for sunrise every day after that."

He paused to glance at Snape, wondering why he was telling the man this. Surely he wouldn't be interested? But he was smiling, so Harry decided to conclude that Snape actually _was_ interested by what he was saying. To some extent, at least.

"It's a completely different world down there. You start to notice the little things, but especially, you start to appreciate the little things."

"That sounds wonderful," Snape murmured softly.

Harry's eyes shot up in surprise, because he could hear that the Potions Master meant it.

"You should go some day, Professor," Harry said carefully. "I promise that you won't regret it."

After those words, he drifted back to the shores of Phia Beach, where he had stayed in a bungalow right by the water. He closed his eyes as he pictured himself on the shore. He had been there alone, but this time he saw himself there with Hermione. In his mind, he lowered her down on the hot sand, his eyes never leaving hers. He kissed the top of her head, then brought his lips to her mouth. He caressed her cheek and then…

"Mr Potter?"

He snapped his eyes to Snape and noticed that the older wizard was watching him with a curious look.

"You were far away," Snape stated simply.

"I was. I was back at Phia Beach," was the only thing he offered in reply.

Snape hesitated for a moment, but Harry didn't seem to notice.

"You looked happy. Did you meet someone there?"

Harry snorted softly.

"Did I meet tons of interesting people? Absolutely. Did I meet a woman who caught my interest? No. That's not what I went down there for."

Snape held in his sigh of relief. There seemed to be no new woman in Harry's life. If there had been, Hermione would never want Harry to be a part of Toby's life. She wanted to raise their daughter with him _alone_, or by herself. How many times had he heard her say that? Snape rolled his eyes and then turned back to Harry.

"What did you go down there for?" he asked at the same moment they entered the castle.

Harry met his gaze. _Tell the whole truth or half of the truth combined with a white lie_? he asked himself.

"My main purpose was to get away from the madness that followed after the divorce; I will never understand how I still can be so bloody interesting."

Snape snorted at that and Harry smirked, knowing exactly what he was thinking; he too couldn't possibly understand why Harry Potter was so interesting.

"In the back of my mind, I think I also was hoping to get over Hermione."

Snape felt a pang of fear in his heart – that was _not_ the answer he wanted to hear. He was almost afraid to ask his next question.

"And did you?"

Harry smirked again, and Snape found himself at a loss for how to interpret that.

"It took a couple of weeks to realize that I will never get over her," Harry answered, his expression serious. "I've been trying my hardest to find the best way to contact her again. Then, when I came home, the first thing I saw, was your note."

His smirk returned and Snape's nerves calmed a bit.

"I have to be honest, Professor – I hadn't planned on coming here. Not yet, anyway. I didn't… I was scared, I guess. If I hadn't told George, I probably wouldn't have come so soon. He basically forced me."

Snape smiled at this; from all the good things Hermione had said about the remaining Weasley twin, it sounded like something George would do. Harry hesitated for a moment with the next question that had formed in his mind. But he had to know.

"Snape, why… Why did you send that note to me and not to George? Since you meet and talk with Hermione daily, you must know how close they are nowadays and that Hermione and I haven't talked to each other in over a year. Why me?"

Snape turned towards him with a serious expression on his face.

"George can't help her with this. In fact, you're the only one who can."

Harry let out his breath. So George had been right... But he still didn't understand. What kind of problem did Hermione have that ensured that he was the only one who could help her? He didn't bother voicing his question out loud since he knew he wouldn't receive an answer.

"So here we are," Snape suddenly said and Harry's eyes snapped to a large oak door. "Hermione and I have been sharing quarters, so please inform her that I will stay in the guest quarters until you have sorted everything out."

Harry's eyes narrowed, his mind once again filling with questions. Why were they living together? Snape turned to leave, but Harry stopped him, realizing that he had one last important question to ask.

"Snape… Does Hermione not know that I'm coming?"

He should have been able to guess the answer, but he needed it confirmed. He needed to have some kind idea as to how she would react to seeing him.

"She does not," Snape said frankly. "And that is the way it had to be, I'm afraid. You will understand, Mr Potter. Everything will be clear soon."

Harry was so tired of hearing him say that, but he bit his tongue. There was no point in getting into an argument with him at this point.

"I'll see you later then, I guess," Harry said and gave the older man a nod.

Snape inclined his head and then turned on the spot, making his cloak billow after him as he stalked away. Harry turned to the door and after he had taken a deep breath, he knocked three times. Then he waited patiently, and it seemed like forever until the door was opened. But when it was, he was met by the same beautiful angel that had showed up on his doorstep the night before his wedding. And just like he had been fourteen months ago, she was obviously shocked to see him.

"Harry?"

He smiled at her.

"Hi, Hermione."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

There was something wrong with her eyes, and with her ears too, for that matter; why else would she be seeing and hearing people who shouldn't be here? There was no way that Harry Potter was standing outside her door, looking at her like they had seen each other yesterday.

"What are you doing here? How did you know where to find me? Hogwarts is huge," Hermione demanded to know.

"I'll tell you, if you let me in," Harry answered calmly as he tilted his head and took her features in.

She had cut her hair off. Before it had come down over her back in an untidy mess, but now it barely reached down to her shoulders. Other than that, she looked like her usual self. Still breathtaking. Still gorgeous. He noticed that she was watching him, a look of suspicion very evident on her face. He waited, controlling his almost non-existent patience, until she would say something.

"Did Severus have something to do with this?"

Why deny it? They both knew he wouldn't be here otherwise. He nodded gently, making Hermione groan in frustration.

"Though he didn't tell me why he wanted me to come. He kept saying that I would understand," Harry said and shrugged his shoulders.

Hermione shut her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Severus had promised to leave her alone just a day ago. Then he did this?

"When did he talk to you?"

Harry thought this question was unnecessary, but answered it none the less.

"He sent me a note almost three weeks ago, but I only saw it the day before yesterday when I came home. He asked me to tell you that he will be in the guest quarters until we've solved... everything."

Hermione quickly calculated in her mind and came to the conclusion that the Potions Master had sent that note when they had fought the most about the whole situation with Harry.

"Harry, I am going to invite you in, but first I really need to floo Severus to yell at him a bit and then I quickly need to clean up a little. Please wait out here."

With that she shut the door and left Harry feeling very confused. He sat down on the floor, using the door as backrest. After a little while he could hear Hermione yelling… no, screeching was probably a more accurate term. She was livid, that much was obvious.

"What do you mean you didn't think he would come? It's bloody Harry Potter – of course he would come!" he heard Hermione yell. "Severus, you promised me!"

She was talking more quietly now and Harry was glad – he wasn't sure he wanted to hear more. It sounded as if she really didn't want him to be here. She definitely wasn't happy to see him anyway, which was a great blow to the hopes he had felt earlier. After ten minutes of staring at nothing in particular, Harry considered getting up to knock on the door again. However, before he got the chance, the door was opened. He crashed down on the floor, his head landing between Hermione's feet. He looked up at her and saw that she was smirking.

"You comfortable down there or do you want to come inside?" she asked as her smirk grew into a genuine smile.

Harry hurried to get on his feet and followed her into the room.

"Hermione, you look amazing," Harry said, saying the first thing that came to mind, even though he was being sincere. "I like what you've done to your hair."

Hermione let her hand touch her smooth hair and bit her lip. It took all of Harry's willpower not to caress her hair as well.

"I just cut it a few weeks ago," she told him as she lifted a shoulder in small shrug. "I can't decide weather I like it or not."

Harry smiled at her.

"Oh, it's a 'like'. Without a doubt."

Hermione gave him a searching look. Then she smiled and bowed her head.

"Thank you," she said softly, before she once again raised her head and met his gaze.

They stood in silence for a long time, doing nothing but staring at each other. _Please don't wake up, please don't wake up…_ The thought ran over and over again in her mind, hoping that her son wouldn't wake up during the time Harry was here. Wait, _her_ son? No, for the first time since Toby was born, the father of her child was standing fifty feet away from… _their_ son. The thought made Hermione smile once again, which Harry took as a sign to say something.

"So, you invited me inside your quarters. But are we going to stay right inside the door?"

The smile on Hermione's face disappeared and she smacked her hand against her head before gesturing for him to come in.

"I'm sorry, of course we're not staying here. Please, come in. Can I get you something to drink?" she

wondered as she headed for the kitchen.

"Um, sure. I'll have anything," Harry answered, following her closely.

He gazed around each room he saw, searching for something that could give him some clue about why he was so needed here.

Hermione nudged him with an ice cold bottle of Butterbeer and he jumped. She raised an eyebrow.

"You're jumpy," she said and held out the can for him to take.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well, it was cold," he said as he excepted the drink. "So, tell me something."

He paused long enough to take a long sip. Then he looked at Hermione, who's eyebrows were raised as she waited for him to continue.

"Tell you what?" she demanded finally when he didn't say anything.

"How _are_ you?"

Hermione blinked, surprised at the change of tone in his voice.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Because Snape and George have scared the shit out of me. Yeah, I know that you and George are in contact with each other," Harry said, reading the question in her eyes. "They are both worried about you and Severus Snape is so worried about you that he wanted _me_, the man he hates most in this world, to come and see you."

"George told you? Why?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, feeling like she was avoiding the question.

"It was a bonding thing," he said and lifted a shoulder. "I told him about our night and he told me that you've been talking since this whole mess started."

He noticed that Hermione squirmed where she stood, her gazed lowered down to the floor. _He's going to figure it out today_, she thought as she grabbed hold of the counter behind her. She looked up at him, panicking slightly. _No, he's not ready to hear it. _I'm_ not ready for him to hear it_.

"Um, how did he react?" she asked, picking the first question that came to mind.

Harry let out a soft chuckle.

"He got mad at me," he told her, smiling. "He said that you probably thought that we had been making love, not just having sex."

His smile vanished and was replaced by a cold, almost angry look.

"I told him he was wrong, that I was the one who thought that we had made love, while you were the one who thought of it as just sex; that you were gone when I woke up."

Hermione wanted to sink through the floor – run to her bedroom and hide under bed. She would do almost anything to get away from Harry's accusing stare. He wanted answers, that much was certain.

She hadn't really heard what he had said, that he felt like they had made love, like two people who loved each other did. Maybe if she had she wouldn't still be wondering why he had decided to come see her now.

"How about we settle the old stuff first, Hermione?" he suggested, his voice dangerously low.

It left little room for her to argue with.

"Yeah... Let's go to the living room," Hermione murmured and hurried out of the kitchen.

Harry followed her after he had put the empty Butterbeer bottle on the counter. Hermione was already sitting on the couch with her hands folded in her lap when he entered the living room. He made no sign of sitting down, neither next to her or across from her.

"Harry, please."

Hermione patted the cushion next to her, which was her way of begging him to sit down. He just gave her a hard stare. She sighed at his defiance.

"Harry, you're a lot taller than me, you know."

That made him frown. He couldn't see what that had anything to do with the situation.

"Even if you sit down, you'll still be able to _look down_ on me."

Harry narrowed his eyes, but sat down none the less. Hermione dropped her gaze to her hands.

"Harry, please down look at me like that," she whispered – she could still feel his burning gaze on her.

He lowered his hard stare and then just waited. When Hermione didn't say anything, he looked back up at her and saw that she had tears in her eyes. He wasn't surprised that it made his heart ache – he always had and always would hate to see her sad.

"Hermione," he said softly, the tone of his voice making her look at him. "Why are you crying?"

He hoped that she would start opening up to him soon. She waited a few moments before she answered, mostly in order to get her composure back.

"That's not an easy question," she whispered, wiping away the last of her tears with the back of her hand.

Averting her eyes from him, she continued, her voice breaking now and again.

"I'm just _so_ happy to see you that it's overwhelming and at the same time, I'm so confused. I don't know what to do…"

She grew quiet and stared at her hands. Harry couldn't help smiling – she _was_ happy to see him! All he wanted to do now was to hug his best friend, to show her how happy he was himself. But he didn't want to do anything that she didn't want herself, and he certainly didn't want to do anything that might scare her away. Maybe a hug would be coming on to strong at the moment. So instead he put his hand over hers.

It was the first time he had touched her since their night.

The sensation almost made his heart explode of happiness. She recoiled slightly, but when the shock of them touching each other died down, she grasped his hand in her own.

"All you need to do now is help me make things right," Harry said, choosing his words carefully. "I can only think of one way of doing that – by talking. By going through every step of our relationship, the hard times we've been through. Only then can we move forward."

She stared at him, looking almost fearful. He gave her a small smile and rubbed his thumb over the soft skin of her hand.

"Know this though, Hermione – I've missed you. More than you possibly can imagine."

This made her smile and it also seemed to calm her down a little bit. She nodded and then pulled her hand away from his. She needed to keep her wits during this conversation and she wouldn't be able to do that if she was holding his hand like that.

"What do you want to start with?" he asked her, giving her free reign of deciding where to start.

She thought for a moment and then opened her mouth to speak.

"Why…"

She closed her eyes and stared once again at her hands. Did she really want to hear the answer to that question? Harry grasped her hand again, forcing her once more to look at him.

"Why, what?"

After a deep sigh, she found the courage to ask the one question she had always wanted the answer for.

"Why didn't you come after me? The day we found out that Ginny was pregnant? When you didn't, that's when I knew… that you weren't coming back to me. Didn't you want to follow me?"

Harry closed his eyes, hating himself for putting them in this situation.

"Oh, Hermione," he said with a heavy sigh. "Merlin knows how different everything would have been if I had come after you that day. I've always regretted it. I never loved Ginny... I should have gone after you. I was just… upset and hurt and confused. And you saying that you weren't sure if you wanted to be with me, didn't make me feel any better. I went flying for three hours and you were still out by the time I got back."

He paused, checking Hermione's reaction to his words and thinking over how he should continue.

"I… I knew somewhere inside of me, that we were over. But I went to your house a few days later, and found it empty. I know you said you wanted time apart, but I needed to see you. When I realized that you and your mother had moved somewhere else, without telling me, I took it as a sign that you really wanted me out of your life."

He grew silent, hoping that she would help fill in the blanks. He had always wondered why Hermione suddenly had left the house she had grown up in.

"The day we… broke up, was the same day I checked my mum into St Mungo's," she started, her voice full of emotion – Harry squeezed her hand a little tighter. "I... couldn't deal with it anymore. I needed to start something new. The morning after, I saw an add for the apprenticeship in the _Prophet_. Severus hired me on the spot without a second thought."

"I'm not surprised – you _are_ the brightest witch of your age, you know."

They shared a smile and stared at each other for a moment. Then Hermione asked;

"Harry, if I had been home that night you came by, what would you have said to me?"

He thought about her question for a long time.

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I would have apologized, that's for sure. I think I would have waited to see your reaction, try to decipher your body language, before I chose what to say. I know I didn't want us to be over. But you were already gone and I felt like… 'well, that's that'."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, each in their own thoughts.

"On the whole, Hermione, I didn't contact you because I didn't see the point. I was fathering Ginny's child and I knew you would never like that. I was sure you didn't want to be with me if I would be an active part of that child's life, because, just like you said, it would mean that Ginny would be a part of our lives as well – forever. So… I guess that's why. I chose to be responsible for my actions instead of following my heart."

Hermione looked at him for a long time, finally feeling that she had gotten some kind of closure. Now she knew, and it felt good to have it all in the open. Harry was right – only by talking could they let go of the past and move forward.

"Why did you stay with Ginny after her miscarriage?" Hermione wondered next.

"At first, I didn't think I had any other choice – marriage in the Wizarding world is very different compared to the Muggle world. I couldn't just divorce her because I wanted someone else. Then I started thinking that you might not even want me anymore, and here I had someone who loved me and wanted to be with me. And I still wanted a family. Maybe I could grow to love Ginny with time... If nothing else, I would love our kids."

"So where did it go wrong?"

"Ginny told me she didn't want children anymore, and maybe I'll sound like a cold hearted bastard now, but I didn't see the point in staying with her then. And I still couldn't just divorce her. After some time passed, I got the feeling that Ginny had started seeing someone else. I hired a private investigator and after two weeks I knew that she was cheating on me with Neville. "

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise; _Neville_, of all people?

"I knew I had to talk to them then, knew we couldn't go on like this. Besides, I could tell Ginny had found someone who loved her fully and could give her something I couldn't. Along with the pictures of them together that the investigator had given me, I used my fame to get the Ministry to allow us a divorce."

Harry couldn't help letting out a little laugh at that and Hermione smiled. Then something in his eyes shifted.

"Hermione, have you gotten enough answers for now?" Harry suddenly wondered. "Because I would really like to start asking some myself."

Hermione suddenly looked scared and he gently touched her thigh.

"I'm not going to attack you, I promise. I just want to know."

She nodded after a long time, forcing herself not look as scared as she felt. Harry was quiet for a moment, staring at a spot on the carpet while thinking out the order of his questions.

"You came to my apartment absolutely furious about me inviting you to the wedding... And then ended up staying the night with me – or at least parts of it. Why? "

Hermione just sat there looking at him for a long time. She wasn't aware of it, but she was really trying Harry's patience tonight. But since he didn't want to pressure her, he didn't say anything to get her started on the answer that was slowly forming in her mind. He just waited, looking steadily in to her eyes.

"What happened that night was out of my control," Hermione finally said. "You felt so good against my body and I could barely think straight. Soon, I convinced myself that I deserved to be with you, that you would be mine – even if it was just for a second. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping that you wouldn't marry Ginny if I let you know how much I wanted you. How much I loved you."

"Well, that sure turned out well," Harry hissed, his emotions suddenly getting the better of him.

Hermione started at the change of tone of his voice, making her feel very confused and annoyed at the same time. They had just shared a nice and calm conversation about their breakup – couldn't they keep this conversation as civil as that one? The fact that he so suddenly had gotten upset with her again, made her upset as well.

"Why are you so mad at me all of a sudden?" she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not like that night meant anything to you. No, you got a night of passionate sex without any attachments with a girl you knew would give it to you!"

Harry sat dumbfounded, staring at her with disbelief. She had just said… _what_? Did she _believe_ that? She obviously hadn't heard him when he had confessed in the kitchen that he had made love to her that night and not that they had shared "a night of passionate sex without any attachments" as she had so eloquently put it.

"I can't believe you just said that, Hermione," he said, sounding as hurt as he looked. "Have you really been thinking that our night together didn't mean anything to me? That I really wanted to have wild, passionate sex one last time before I tied myself to one woman for the rest of my life, with the first woman that came along?"

Hermione felt bad. Really bad. No, she didn't think that. _Of course_ she didn't think that. She didn't know why she had said that and now she was afraid to look at him.

"When I held you in my arms afterwards, my life finally made sense. I fell asleep feeling happy for the first time since you and I broke up."

"Why did you marry her then?" Hermione barked at him.

Harry's eyes narrowed. Was she serious? Did she really not understand why he had married Ginny? He was fathering her child, but more importantly, he believed that he had lost Hermione forever. Was he the only one in the room who knew that?

"Do you _really_ need me to answer that question?" he demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Hermione rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course she needed him to answer the question! Otherwise she wouldn't have asked it in the first place!

"Just answer the question!" she snapped quietly.

"Because you were GONE!" Harry roared in frustration.

"Sch!" Hermione hissed at him.

Harry raised his eyebrows, his furious expression still intact.

"Don't 'shush' me!"

Hermione glanced over her shoulder, a worried glint in her eyes. Harry, being very perceptive these days thanks to his Auror training, didn't miss a thing. He frowned as he watched her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

She glanced back at him, looking almost confused. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Is Toby sleeping or something and you don't want to wake him up?" he wondered and glanced over his shoulder as well, looking for the kitten George had said she had.

The color drained from Hermione's face.

"H-how do you know about him?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, wondering why she suddenly seemed so flustered. She was getting paler by the second.

"George told me about him," he answered with a shrug. "I can't believe you got another cat, though. I thought you said you wouldn't after Crookshanks died."

She stared at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

"I…"

She broke of, suddenly remembering that she had told George she had a new cat named Toby. She closed her eyes in relief, inhaling deeply as she tucked her hands under her thighs so that Harry wouldn't be able to see how much they were shaking.

"Hermione, are you feeling okay?" Harry asked suddenly, sounding worried.

Hermione took a deep breath and then shook her head. Why deny that she was feeling liking a nervous wreck at the moment? Harry had always been able to read her like an open book.

"I don't want to fight with you, Harry," she said weakly. "I can't handle it, I don't have the energy for it. Can we just talk about this civilly?"

Harry saw that Hermione's energy suddenly seem to be completely gone and the spark in her eyes was missing again. Looking at her, when she was feeling like this, he finally understood why Snape and George were worried about her. He nodded gently in answer to her question and received a small smile in return. When he spoke, he chose a much softer tone.

"Why did you leave, Hermione?"

Hermione didn't answer for a long time, but when she finally did, her voice was strained.

"I felt guilty," she said slowly. "You were getting married to a woman I knew you once had cared about very deeply and she was also currently pregnant with your child. I didn't want to cause more trouble and really, what would have been different? She would still be pregnant and she would still always have something that you would love more than any other children you might have with me... Your firstborn."

Harry looked like he wanted to protest at her last statement, but Hermione held up her hand and shook her head; his mouth snapped shut and then Hermione sighed heavily.

"I hadn't even considered that something would happen between us in the first place, which also means that I had no clue what to do if something _did_ happen, but… I felt terrible. And if, by chance, you had told me that you wanted to marry her anyway… I wouldn't have been able to recover from that."

Harry gently shook his head and put his hand on her thigh.

"Hermione Granger, had you been there when I woke up, I never would have let you go. We would have figured it out somehow, as long as it meant that we were together."

Her eyes filled with tears as she grabbed hold of his hand.

"Why didn't you come after me then?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

He stroked away a few tears that rolled down her cheeks and then sighed softly.

"I was confused when I noticed you were gone. I found your note and the second after I read it, George and the others burst in to get me ready for the wedding. I had no time to think. All I knew was that you were gone, because you didn't love me anymore."

"That's not…"

Harry held up a hand to stop Hermione's interruption. She shut her mouth.

"That's the only explanation I could think of, Hermione; that you didn't love me, that you just wanted to have sex with me to see what you had missed out on before and I… I couldn't find another explanation that made sense. Because if you loved me, you wouldn't just have taken of. When I was taking my vows all I could think about was that I had lost you forever."

The tears in Hermione's eyes flowed rapidly down her cheeks, but he didn't do anything to comfort her. Not yet. They weren't done talking yet. And if he started touching her more than just keeping his hand still on her thigh, he wouldn't be able to think straight.

"I loved you. I always have and I always will. I was just so scared, Harry. Scared that you would hate me because I had caused you to cheat."

Harry shook his head and squeezed her hand.

"I could never hate you. I may not have liked you much at times, but I've always loved you, one way or the other."

They were quiet for a moment, both taking each proclamations of love in. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just looking at each other and mulling over the things they had heard in their heads. The longer the silence grew, so did the smiles on their faces.

"Is that everything, then?" Harry asked finally.

Hermione's smile vanished and she hastily dropped her gaze. Harry tilted his head, looking at her in wonder. She was still hiding something from him. Maybe it was this secret that made Snape so worried; maybe this secret was the reason he was here.

"What is it, love?"

He saw her smile all of sudden and gave him a loving look.

"I've missed hearing you call me that," she said and reached for his hand.

He entwined his fingers with hers and then he smiled, pushing his confusion away. She would tell him about her secret sooner or later. As far as he was concerned, they had all the time in the world now.

"I've missed you, period."

They stared at each other for a very long time. It was obvious that there still was chemistry between them. Something inside Hermione shifted and she was hit with a calm, serene feeling that everything was going to be okay.

"I had no idea how to get you back in my life," Harry said quietly. "Thank Merlin for Snape's note."

Hermione started shifting in her seat, but Harry held up his free hand.

"I'm not going to pressure you," he said to calm her. "I'm not patient, you know that, but you have the rest of our lives to tell me, you know."

"What?" she demanded, her eyes snapping up to meet his, almost scared to hope what he meant.

Harry leaned forward so their lips were only inches apart.

"You think that I would let you go again?" he asked in a whisper.

Hermione closed her eyes, so happy, so thrilled that she was afraid her heart hurt would burst.

"Harry, you're only guy I've ever wanted to be with," she told him, stroking her hand over his cheek. "The only guy I've ever been with."

Then she leaned closer, slowly, until there was no more space between them. The kiss was soft and sweet and, thought it lasted only a few seconds, was a kiss full of promise and hope.

"Hermione, I love…"

Before he could finish the sentence, Harry was cut short by a loud wailing that seemed to be coming from inside the quarters.

Harry snapped his head back in surprise and frowned at Hermione. She looked horrified.

"Is that a… baby?"


	14. The truth is out

AN: Big thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers!

Chapter Fourteen

The truth is out

Harry snapped his head back in surprise and frowned at Hermione. She looked horrified.

"Is that a… baby?" Harry wondered, his tone indicating how utterly confused he was at the moment.

Hermione closed her eyes and then she put her hand over her chest as she sharply drew for air. It wasn't working; she was unable to force the oxygen down to her lungs. She gasped for air, dreading that she would get an anxiety attack. As she threw her hands straight up to open her air passages, Harry, who had merely been watching her in wonder, was starting to get scared. He had never seen this happen to her before.

"Hermione, what's going on? Hermione? Tell me how to help you!" he demanded, sounding harsher than he had meant to.

Hermione just shook her head and tried to give him a reassuring smile. It looked like a grimace of pain to Harry. Slowly the attack died down and Harry took hold of her hand. From a distance, he could still hear the baby crying, but all that mattered at the moment was Hermione.

"Are you alright?" he wondered, taking her face between his hands.

She nodded weakly and then she started getting up.

"Where are you going?" he asked and grabbed her arm.

"Harry, the baby. I have to see why he's crying."

With that she left the living room, Harry staring after her. His mind was racing. Was the baby Hermione's? No, that wasn't possible. She would have told him, or George would have told him at the very least. But if the baby wasn't hers, why had she been so flustered then? His thoughts were broken when he saw something flash in the corner of his eye, informing him that Hermione was coming back. In her arms she had a bundle of blue, which Harry knew to be the baby.

"Harry, you were right about the cat; I'm not ready for a new one, not by a long shot. _This_ is

Toby."

Harry gave Hermione a blank look, refusing to even glance at the little boy in her arms.

"Is he yours?" he said flatly.

Hermione nodded and Harry closed his eyes. She had a child. She had conceived a child with another man. He knew he was being a hypocrite but he couldn't stop the feeling of betrayal that swept over him; wow, for the first time ever he sort of had a feeling of how Hermione might have felt when they had just found out about Ginny's pregnancy.

"Am I still the only one you've ever wanted to be with?" he wondered, looking up at her.

She nodded again as she sat down on the couch, readjusting Toby a little, while Harry shook his head in denial.

"Then how… I can't believe that… Why…"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted calmly, but forcefully enough for him to hear her.

He fell silent, but continued shaking his head.

"Harry, look at me," Hermione ordered him, a small smile forming over her lips.

It took a moment or two, but then Harry finally raised his eyes to meet hers and he started when he noticed her smile.

"He's yours."

Harry stared at her. After a moment, his mouth dropped. He had heard her, but he didn't understand it. This boy was... _what?_

"Excuse me?"

"Toby is your son. _Our_ son," Hermione said softly as her smile grew slightly.

Harry stared at her dumbly, his brain trying to process what she was saying.

"Are you sure?" he finally blurted out, and then he grimaced as he realized how childish he sounded.

Hermione almost laughed at his tone. But this wasn't the right time to laugh. She was sure Harry wouldn't take kindly to it at the moment.

"Yes, I'm sure. You're the only guy I've slept with, Harry. Like I said, the only guy I've ever wanted to be with."

Harry finally turned to look at the little boy in Hermione's arms. Toby was staring at him, looking curios and scared at the same time. Harry was immediately drawn to his eyes – bright emerald green, just like his own. Just like his mother's.

"_George can't help her with this. In fact, you're the only one who can._"

Snape's words finally made sense. He had known that Hermione child was Harry's son. Why on earth had she kept this from him? He tried to find an answer on his own, but he couldn't think of one and he was getting more upset and more angry by the minute.

"How could you have kept this from me – kept _him_ from me?" he demanded angrily. "Wasn't it my right to know that I have a son?"

"Of course it was, Harry!" choosing a softer tone in an attempt to calm Harry down. "But please, can you try to see this from my point of view for second? Can you please hear me out?"

Harry did his best to quell his anger and gave her a short nod in reply. He folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Hermione took a deep breath, ignoring the look of hurt, anger and betrayal in his eyes.

"I was going to tell you, when I found out. I sent you a letter, asking you to meet up with me... This was at the end of August, I think. But you sent it back without opening it. There was a note on it that said you weren't interested."

Harry frowned in confusion, wondering what on earth she was talking about. He had no memory of receiving a letter from Hermione...

"I never got a letter from you, Hermione. And I certainly wouldn't have sent it back to you; I would have devoured anything you sent me and written back to you in the next second."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise, which then quickly turned into anger. He was _denying_ that she had sent him a letter? Well, she would show him!

"Here, hold him," she said and thrust Toby at him. "I'll show you you're wrong."

Harry's eyes bulged and he gulped, visibly shaken about holding his son for the first time, but at the moment Hermione didn't give a damn. She had to remind him of his cold, heartless treatment of her. Harry took Toby, still terrified, and Hermione shot from the couch and sprinted to her room. In the bottom of a drawer she found the letter she had sent to Harry little over a year ago, the post-it note still glaring at her. She wondered why on earth she had saved this letter...

Now she knew.

Hurrying back to the living room, she stopped short when she saw Harry and Toby; father and son. Harry had managed to turn Toby around, so that they were facing each other, and he had placed the boy's feet on his thighs. They were staring at each other with unmasked curiosity. Hermione felt a pang of joy in her heart and she gasped in a gulp of air when she felt her eyes tearing up. Harry's eyes snapped to meet hers, the look of pure awe still evident in his features. Hermione took a deep breath to compose herself and then joined Harry on the couch once more. Hermione placed the letter on the coffee table in front of them and then took Toby back from Harry, ignoring the look of hurt that flashed in Harry's eyes.

"Recognize it?" she wondered, jerking her head towards the letter.

Harry tore his gaze from his son to the letter on the table. He simply looked at it for a moment and then he frowned as he noticed his own handwriting on the post-it. His hand trembled as he reached for it and he opened it without a second thought. He read it slowly, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. The moment he was done he let out a deep sigh.

"I've never seen this, Hermione," Harry said flatly as he tossed the piece of parchment on the table. "You _have to_ believe me. I would've jumped at the chance to see you, you _must_ know that. I'm guessing Ginny sent it back before I got a chance to read it."

Hermione stared at him in wonder as the information sank in. For some reason, she didn't doubt his words. Oh Merlin, she should have known that Harry could never so cold and cruel! She knew she should have tried _harder_ to get in touch with him!

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered as she shook her head at her stupidity. "I should have... _known_ that you wouldn't be like that."

Harry just gave her small, slightly sad smile, nodded his head and then urged her to continue.

Toby squirmed in his mothers lap, so Hermione let the boy go. He crawled of her lap and seated himself in between his two parents, while Hermione wondered how on earth she should continue explaining why she had kept Toby's existence from him.

"I should have tried harder to get in touch with you, I understand that now, but when I heard that Ginny lost the baby and didn't even want to try for another one, I seriously got freaked out. Scared, even. I didn't dare approach you about it after that, at least not for a while."

"Why were you scared?" Harry asked in a soft tone, sensing that being angry at this moment wouldn't do anything good.

Besides, he didn't want to scare the little boy. Hermione noticed the change of tone, but saw his eyes flash, so his anger was still there. She tilted her head and gave him a long look. Was the answer to that question only obvious to her?

"I didn't want Ginny to be her stepmother," she said frankly. "And I was scared that if you, or the Weasley's found out that I carried the Potter heir, that they would try and take him away from me. You might not know about that ancient wizarding law, but the Weasley's might have."

Harry, once again, frowned in confusion.

"What wizarding law?"

"The one that says that a wife can claim a mistress' child as her own if she is unable to have more children," Hermione explained, not at all surprised that Harry had no idea what she was talking about.

Harry's jaw dropped in shock, his expression clearly showing his horror. After living half of his life in wizarding world, how could there still be things that shocked him so much?

"That wouldn't have happened, Hermione. I would never have allowed that to happen. How can you even think that?"

"I didn't, not really. At least not about you. But I was scared of the influence the Weasley's had on you and since I was pregnant and hormones were running high – I let myself believe that. It's stupid, I know, and I'm sorry, but that's what went through my mind."

Harry shook his head in disbelief; if either one of them had just found the courage to talk to each other, their lives would have been so much more simple.

"If you had told me, Hermione, I would have left Ginny a lot sooner."

Hermione lifted one shoulder and gave him a sad smile.

"I couldn't have known that you were only husband and wife in name," she said with a sigh. "I mean, you did really care about her at one point, and for me, getting married is about love. So no matter what you said, I thought that somewhere deep down inside of you, you did love her... To some extent."

Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but Hermione held up her hand.

"I know _now_ that you didn't," she continued, "but I didn't know that then. And when Toby was born, so much time had passed. In my emotional state, I was sure you would hate me. I regretted not telling you as soon as I had found out, that I didn't push harder for you to come meet me... But at the same time, I didn't want you to leave her for me because you had gotten me pregnant. I wanted you to be with me out of love, not responsibility."

Again, it looked like Harry wanted to cut in, but Hermione shushed him.

"I know you wouldn't have seen it that way, I know. Now stop trying to interrupt me," she ordered with a smile before growing somber again. "I didn't want you and Ginny to end your marriage because of me. I didn't want history to repeat itself. I remember how crappy I felt those first few weeks without you and no matter how much I dislike Ginny, I didn't want her to feel the same pain that I had felt. I am a bigger person than that."

She paused to caress her son's head; Toby let out a gurgling sound in response.

"I wanted to raise him alone if I couldn't raise him with you, _alone_. Since he was born, I've shared the biggest set of private quarters the dungeons have ever had together with Severus – and I've actually been fooling myself that I didn't need you. I thought I was happy and that I was enjoying everything that motherhood brought me. But two days ago, with a little help from George, I realized that I can't be happy, for real, without having you in my life."

Harry's expression softened, all traces of anger leaving his face.

"Dammit, Hermione. You make it impossible for me to stay angry with you."

Hermione gave him a light smirk.

"Sorry. Give me a moment, I'm sure I can think of something to make you mad again."

Harry just rolled his eyes and then he waited for her to continue.

"I was planning on coming to George's wedding," Hermione admitted in closing. "Not to spring Toby on you. I wanted to make sure that we hadn't grown apart completely, that there was still a bond between us. Taken it a step at a time, you know?"

She gave him a small smile as he nodded. At the same moment, Toby crawled towards Harry and then he sat back down, holding out his arms. Harry's gazed shifted to the boy as he saw the movement.

"He wants you to hold him."

Harry looked terrified at the thought. Sure, he had already held him once, but the fact that the boy _wanted_ him to hold him... Toby was smiling at him expectantly, wagging his fingers a little to make him hurry up. When Hermione saw his expression, she laughed and patted him gently on his thigh.

"He doesn't bite," Hermione pointed out.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I know," he said, sounding insulted. "That's not it."

Hermione knew that too.

"You're not going to hurt him," she murmured softly.

Harry carefully lifted Toby under his arms and placed him on his lap. He kept an arm safely around him as Toby took a firm grip of his shirt. Hermione felt her heart squeeze. She had longed for this moment since she had first learned that she was pregnant, to see them together. Harry looked at the boy on his lap, pure joy evident on his face. Tears formed in Hermione's eyes as she watched the two people she loved most in the world bond for real for the first time. As she sniffled, Harry's head snapped up and the smile he had had on his face disappeared.

"What's wrong, love?" he wondered, his voice full of worry.

She waved a hand in the air and smiled, showing him that she was alright. She had to wait a moment before she could answer, since she didn't want to choke on the words her answer would contain.

"I'm just happy. I've waited so long for this moment, to see him in your arms."

Harry just smiled in return before he turned his attention back to the angel in his arms.

"He's beautiful," he said softly. "I can't believe he's mine."

Hermione stroke his cheek gently. He tore his eyes away from his son to look at her.

"Why? You're beautiful too."

Harry laughed softly. He grabbed her chin and just stared at her for a minute. Hermione blushed, but didn't avert her gaze.

"Not like his mother," he concluded and glanced at her mouth.

He wanted to kiss her so badly. But not yet.

"Hermione, I wanted to tell you something before our son so rudely interrupted us," he said with a short laugh and Hermione chuckled softly.

Toby grabbed his thumb and then let out a gleeful shout which made Harry jump. Hermione chuckled at his apparent jumpiness, finding it quite endearing.

"He's strong!" he exclaimed and looked at the boy in amazement.

Hermione just nodded and stroked Toby's head gently. Then she leaned forward a placed a kiss on the top of his head, before turning her gaze up to Harry.

"What did you want to tell me, Harry?" Hermione whispered, a small smile on her face.

Harry inhaled, trying to calm his nerves.

"I wanted to tell you that I love you," he said softly. "That I can't and _won't_ live my life without you anymore."

Hermione wanted to shout in joy, but tears of happiness formed in her eyes for the second time that day instead and rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

"I've always wanted to hear you say that," she said, almost choking on the words. "I love you too, Harry. But it took so long for me to realize that I couldn't be happy without you."

She flung her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace. Toby let out a strangled cry, not happy about being squished like that. Hermione let go of Harry.

"Sorry, sweetie," she said and lifted the boy of his lap. "Sit here for a moment and let me hug your daddy."

Toby was placed on the floor by their feet and then she crept into his embrace. She placed her mouth against his neck and inhaled deeply to get hold of his scent. Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her, stroking his hands over her back. After a moment, Hermione faced him again and she licked her lips as she watched his. Harry's breath caught. And then, she leaned forward and Harry quickly closed the gap between them. As their lips met, they both let out moans of repressed pleasure, and what started as a soft kiss soon became heated and demanding. Without thinking about it, Hermione straddled him, keeping their lips firmly glued to each other at she entangled her fingers into his hair. Harry's hands came around her back and bottom – both of them had momentarily forgotten about the child in the room.

Toby didn't like that very much – the next moment they were interrupted by the impatient boy on the floor. Hermione was startled enough at the sound of her son laughing that she pulled back from Harry. They both turned to look at their boy, who had now started chewing on a soft, purple hippogriff.

"So, in one day I find out that I have a son and that you still love me," Harry said softly, making Hermione turn her head back to him.

They shared a smile and then Hermione placed her forehead on Harry's, letting out a content sigh.

"Hermione... This must be the best day of my life."

AN: Short, I know, but you won't have to wait long for the next chapter, promise! I realize that I don't know much (or anything) about a child's development, so if I've made Toby too "old" for his age, sorry; hope you can overlook my mistakes.


	15. No more secrets

Chapter Fifteen

No more secrets

The next morning, Harry woke up with a feeling of contentment settling in his mind. It took him a moment to realize where he was and why he felt so whole, but everything clicked into place when he felt someone trail a soft path over his chest; Hermione. His eyes snapped open and he turned his head. Hermione was watching him intently, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

"Good morning," she whispered and leaned closer to give him a small kiss on his lips.

Harry smiled against her lips and captured her face in his hand in order to kiss her more firmly. The kiss left him breathless. She climbed on top of him and buried her face into his neck.

"Good morning," he mumbled into her ear, loving the way she shivered against him.

They laid entangled for a little while, enjoying each other's warmth. Neither one of them felt awkward at the other's nakedness. It had been a little tense when they had finally gone to bed the night before... They had both been too exhausted to engage in any sexual activity, but at the same time, neither could ignore how much they wanted the other. They had undressed each other while staring over the other's body with a hunger they knew never could be quenched and then Hermione had settled her back along Harry chest, his strong arms tightly around her. They had tried to go to sleep, but since neither one of them could stop touching the other, they had finally ended up making love for the second time in their joint life.

It had been like coming home.

"This feels so unreal," Hermione finally said as she propped herself up on her elbow. "I can't believe you're really here. Last night was... amazing."

Harry smiled, knowing exactly how she felt.

"What time is it?" he wondered as he yawned, stretching his legs out at the same time.

"It's way past ten," Hermione answered as she settled on his left side, lying more on the bed now then on top of him.

That surprised him, since he had been getting up before sunrise for the past four weeks. The time difference must be getting to him.

"And Toby isn't awake yet?"

Hermione let out a soft laugh that; Harry would have a _lot_ to learn in the next couple of days.

"Of course he's awake. I've already given him a bath, put his clothes on and fed him. I dropped him off with Severus an hour ago."

Harry was startled enough of that last piece of news that he actually sat straight up. The greasy dungeon bat looking after _his_ son? Was Hermione crazy, leaving Toby with him? He turned to look at Hermione to ask her what the hell she was thinking, but Hermione beat him to it.

"Harry, don't you even dare say it," she hissed, knowing exactly what must be going through his mind. "I trust Severus with my life; with _Toby's_ life."

But he was Severus Snape! The man was the most feared professor at Hogwarts for a reason; he absolutely _loathed_ children, thought they were a nuisance and a waste of time! Fine, Harry could admit that Snape wasn't downright _evil_, but the man certainly wasn't pleasant! Toby was six months old – Harry himself wouldn't put it past Snape to "accidentally" drop the baby on the floor.

"Harry, I realize that there is a lot of history between the two of you, but you have to understand that he's not the same man he used to be. He's the closest thing I've had to family these past months and I hope for my sake that you will try _your best_ to get to know the man Severus Snape is today."

Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but when Hermione's eyes narrowed he quickly snapped his mouth shut.

"Fine, I promise," he muttered under his breath. "I guess I just wanted to... see yours and Toby's morning routine."

Hermione smiled at that and gently patted his cheek.

"You will," was all she said and then she slipped out of the bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" Harry mocked whined as he watched her put a shimmering lilac robe on; the fabric looked expensive, but it was gorgeous none the less.

"I am going to get breakfast started – _you_ are welcome to join me as soon as you are decently dressed," she answered and winked at him before she left the bedroom.

Harry, missing her the moment she left, jumped out bed and quickly put his jeans and t-shirt on. At the moment he couldn't find his socks, but figured he wouldn't need them, and hurried out to Hermione in the kitchen.

"Still drink your coffee with milk and sugar?" Hermione asked as soon as she saw him.

He merely nodded in reply as he sat down; Hermione had already put everything on the table – toast and marmalade, fresh fruit chopped in bite size pieces and something that looked like the biscuits Professor McGonagall had tried to force into his mouth when he had been a student.

"How did you have time to do all this in less than a minute?" he wondered as he waited for her to sit down opposite him.

"Magic is wonderful thing, Harry," she said with a grin, setting down a cup of coffee for him in front of him; Harry noticed that she was drinking tea herself. "Minerva has been helping me with household charms – you might remember that there was a time when I wasn't all that great with those."

Harry smirked at that as he helped himself to some toast.

"Hermione, how many people know he's mine?" Harry wondered, asking the question he had been dying to know ever since he had found out about Toby. "I mean, his eyes... Anyone who sees him should suspect something."

Hermione made a face at that and she took a long sip of her tea before she answered.

"Yes, if I hadn't screamed for you during labor, Poppy would have known the truth the moment she saw his eyes," she admitted with a small smile. "I told Minerva, because I felt that she _should _know... But apart from them, Severus is the only one who knows."

Harry winced as he was reminded of Severus Snape.

"I'm sorry you were alone during labor," Harry murmured, his eyes betraying the pain he felt for not having been there for her.

Hermione gave him a small, but sad, smile.

"I wasn't alone," she said, "since I refused to allow Severus to leave. He stood behind me; I'm sure I nearly broke his hand at some point."

Snape had been with her? Yep, he finally had it confirmed; he owed the man he had once loathed with a passion more than he could ever hope to repay. His thoughts must have been evident on his face, because the next moment, Hermione sighed.

"Yes, Harry, Severus was with me. We had gotten very close by then... He was closest thing I had to family, since mum doesn't even recognize me anymore..."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond appropriately about the news of her mother, not sure how to tell her that he was sorry when he knew he couldn't do anything to make her fell better. Instead, he simply took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Hermione gave him a sad smile in return. It was painful to think about her mum; she certainly did not want to talk about her at the moment, with everything else she was feeling at the moment it would just be too much.

"I chose to honor Severus, for everything he has done for me since I got here, by doing two things."

Harry raised his eyebrows as he waited for her to continue. He nibbled on his toast as he watched Hermione squirm.

"Did you know that Severus' middle name is Tobias?"

Harry frowned, not at all seeing the point of that question at this time. Oh... wait. His son's name was Toby, which of course was a shortened form of Tobias. Alright, she named their son after the Potions Master; he really had no idea how to feel about that at the moment.

Hermione knew the exact moment the information clicked into place in Harry's mind, because it was the same moment that his face darkened. However, he didn't say anything and Hermione found herself wondering what on in Merlin's name what was going through his mind.

"But don't think I forgot about his father, Harry. I named him Toby, and not Tobias, because I wanted his name to end with a -y like his daddy's," Hermione said with a wink, causing Harry to smile. "And also, his middle is James."

Harry's eyes widened, wondering what Snape thought about that. He even went as far as to thinking what his father would have thought about it, having the two enemies names put together like that. Sure, it wasn't Snape's first name, but still...

"Don't try to analyze it, Harry," Hermione groaned, guessing correctly what he was thinking. "Severus has been driving me insane enough as it is, and he has all the information."

Harry frowned in confusion. All the information?

"Toby's last name is not Granger. It's Potter."

Harry's eyes bulged in shock – if Toby's name officially was Potter, how could it _not_ have gotten out in the press?

"Don't all magical births automatically get filed at the Ministry?"

"Er, yes, usually they do. But Hogwarts is a special place, embedded with old magic and it's own rules. There hasn't been a birth in Hogwarts for sixty years and the same rules apply now as back then; the Ministry has no control over this place and the magic that allows this school to thrive is the same magic that purposely keeps the secrets of those that are too innocent to keep it themselves. In other words, Toby, and every other baby that has been born here. The matron of the infirmary has to manually fill out the birth certificate and send it to the Ministry; I simply asked Poppy not to."

Harry looked flabbergasted.

"You _really_ didn't want me to know, did you?" he finally asked, trying and failing to keep the hurt from his voice.

"Oh, Harry, I've explained why I didn't tell you," Hermione said with a sigh. "I'm just happy you're here now. Toby won't remember that there was a time when you weren't here. He'll remember growing up with both his parents."

"But what if Snape and George hadn't forced me here?" Harry demanded, his voice raw with emotion. "I would have missed even more of his life!"

Hermione took a deep breath, knowing that if he got more emotional than he already was, she would start crying herself.

"Not that much more, Harry. George's wedding is in less than a week; we would have met there, talked everything through, realized that we still love each other and then I would have told you."

"And you're sure about that?" Harry demanded, needing to hear her say it.

Hermione got up form her chair and got down on her knees in front of Harry. She took his hands in hers and gave him a soft, reassuring smile while stroke her thumbs over his hands.

"I'm positive, because I had just realized how unhappy I was without you. Harry, even if we had grown apart, even if we didn't want to get back together with each other, I still knew that I needed you in my life. Not only as Toby's father, but as my friend. I missed my best friend more than anything. So yes, I would have told you. Sooner, rather than later, I promise."

Harry felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders; it surprised him, because he hadn't known that this had bothered him so much. He inhaled deeply and then brought Hermione's hands to his lips, kissing each of them before he leaned down to kiss her lips.

"So, the Potter line is safe then," he whispered, mainly to himself, and then let out a small chuckle. "You know, that's the main reason the Ministry granted us a divorce; the fact that Ginny didn't want to have children. If what you say about this ancient law is true, and the Ministry had known of Toby's existence, they might not have been as compliant."

Hermione smiled as she got back to her feet and went to sit down.

"Maybe it was for the best then," she said simply with a small shrug.

"Okay, back to my original question," Harry said after Hermione had taken her seat again. "His eye color – how come no one has noticed?"

Hermione considered telling him that she still hadn't told him about the second honor she had bestowed on Severus, but then she conceded that he already had a lot to take in. Telling him that Severus was Toby's godfather could wait a few hours, at the very least...

"Believe it or not, but Severus made a potion that dilutes the color of his eyes that he takes once a week during the school year. All professors are gone until... oh, they all come back tomorrow. I'll need to ask Severus if he still has some of it..."

"Er, Hermione? Not to be presumptuous or anything, but do you really think you still need to change his eye color? I mean, I know now, so unless you don't want everyone else to know, I don't think he'll need it."

Hermione blinked and the next moment she started laughing.

"Merlin, where's my head at?" she said as she shook her head. "Of course I don't want to hide him anymore. Old habits die hard, I guess."

She scooped some apples and oranges onto her plate and then stabbed her fork through an apple before she carefully started chewing on it.

"I don't remember you being a fruit person," Harry commented as he watched her. "You usually just ate toast and marmalade in the mornings, with a big cup of _coffee._"

Hermione shrugged a shoulder.

"I started craving fruit when I was pregnant," she replied as she stabbed a piece of orange. "And I drink herbal tea now, because muggles believe that coffee is bad for you, or the baby actually, when you're pregnant or breastfeed."

"Oh," was Harry's eloquent reply.

He had missed so much. He had not been there to get the news of the pregnancy with Hermione, he had not been with her to witness the raging hormones, the weird food cravings nor felt the baby kick.

Harry had missed the birth of his son.

He had missed the first six months of his son's life and since he knew next to nothing about babies, he had no idea how much or little he had actually missed. When had Toby been able to hold up his neck by himself for the first time? Had he started crawling or even walking? When was the first time he had laughed?

Snape had witnessed all these things, knew Toby a hell of a lot more than Harry did and while he was grateful that the Potions Master had been there for Hermione when he hadn't, he couldn't help resenting Snape a tiny bit. Harry knew he only had himself to blame.

"You looked troubled, Harry," came Hermione's voice, breaking his brooding immediately. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing you'll like," he mumbled in reply.

Hermione raised an eyebrow which he took as a sign that he had to explain what he meant by that.

"Snape is a huge part of your's and Toby's life. It just makes everything I've missed so obvious; he knows you and Toby better than I do now. I just don't know... how to feel about that. And I'm sorry, Hermione, I know you trust him, that's the only reason for why I'm sitting here with you and not watching Snape like a hawk. I'm going to do everything in my power to see him for the man he is now, not for the bastard he used to be that made out lives here a living hell."

Hermione's heart ached for him. She could guess how he was feeling. She hadn't even been willing to consider Ginny as a candidate to be Toby's stepmother simply due to the bad blood between them. There was plenty of bad blood between Harry and Severus... The only thing worse than her flourishing friendship with Severus would have been befriending Draco Malfoy instead.

"Do you think you'd feel better if you saw them together?" Hermione wondered, tilting her slightly to watch Harry's reaction.

Harry seemed to be taking the question seriously and he was taking his time to contemplate it.

"He really does love Toby, Harry. You won't need to observe them long to realize that."

The boy who lived sighed wearily and then nodded his head in reply.

"Fine, but let's finish eating first," Harry suggested. "You kept me up half the night ravishing me and I'm still starving."

Hermione blushed and Harry winked at her. They ate in silence after that, both thinking back on their wonderful night together. Their first time had been amazing, but now, after such a long time of yearning for each other, neither one had been able to get enough of the other. It had been, without a doubt, the best night of both their lives.

And the best thing was that they would have nights like this over and over and over, for the remainder of their years. From this moment on, they would always have each other.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry had to admit that he didn't think Snape would purposely drop his son on the floor anymore. They had been watching Snape and Toby out on the grounds for nearly half an hour and Harry felt as if he was seeing Severus Snape for the first time. Who in Merlin's name was this man?

Snape had taken Toby down to the Lake and had spread out a big fluffy looking blanket on the grass. He had brought a big bag with him, which Harry had guessed held everything needed for Toby, along with the little boy's favorite toys. When they had first started watching the duo, Snape had been lying flat on his back, a pillow under his head, while Toby had been sleeping on top of him, stomach to stomach, Snape's arms wrapped securely around the boy. Only five minutes later Toby had woken up and Snape had immediately raised himself into a sitting position. With one arm around the boy, he had used his free hand to go trough the bag and had finally found what he had been looking for – a bottle, which Hermione had explained contained breast milk. They had watched Snape feed Toby, and while they were too far away to hear anything, Harry could tell that Snape was talking to the boy.

And now came the most astounding thing of all; after Snape had played with Toby (the purple hippogriff must be Toby's favorite), Harry had watched the surly Potions Master _change Toby's nappy._ And he had done so efficiently that Harry knew that he had done it many, many times before.

"I see your point," Harry had finally said, admitting that he had been wrong. "Snape obviously loves him and would protect him with his life. I won't say that I'm thrilled about him being such a big part of my son's life, but I'm happy that Toby is safe."

Hermione bit her lip, for the first time a little worried about how Harry would react to the news of Severus being Toby's godfather. Then she got annoyed with herself – Harry would just have to accept it, and that was that. It wasn't if Hermione was going to change her mind about it.

"Would you like to go and say good morning to your son?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Harry replied, a soft smile growing on his features.

They made their way down to the duo and the moment they were close enough, Snape whipped his head around, his eyes alert. Harry couldn't help feeling impressed; the man had his wand in his hand, ready for anything. Snape's eyes landed on the couple and he immediately put his wand away.

"And here I was certain you wouldn't leave the bedroom until well into the afternoon," Snape drawled in greeting, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Hermione blushed for the second time that morning while Harry merely smirked.

"I had more pressing matters than staying in bed all day," Harry replied, his eyes already on his son.

Snape followed his gaze and smiled affectionately at the little boy who was currently, by the looks of it, trying to stuff the entire hippogriff into his mouth.

"My, my, Hermione, have you already lost your man's favor? Did I not tell you to read up on the art of lovemaking?"

Harry couldn't help letting out a strangled laugh at that, while Hermione gasped out a shocked "Severus!". The boy who lived turned to look at her and noticed the scandalized look on her face.

"No need to worry, Snape, once we got over the fact that we were exhausted, she ravished me all night, so there's no problem in that department," Harry said, looking at Hermione to be able to see her reaction; her eyes bulged in horror and then she groaned, covering her face in her hands. "I simply wanted to see my son."

Severus turned to look at Harry when he heard the emotion in the younger man's voice and saw nothing but pure awe as the boy who lived stared at his son. Then Severus glanced at Hermione; the woman was already looking at him and they shared a smile.

"Sit then, Potter, and desist gawking at the boy like an idiot," Severus drawled as he patted the blanket next to him, smirking slightly when he saw Harry hesitate. "I won't bite."

Hermione let out a snort at that and the look the couple were giving each other made Severus _not_ want to know what private joke he had stumbled into. Hermione sat down on the blanket in front of Severus and signaled for Harry to sit down. The younger man finally did sit down next to Snape and the moment he had folded his legs together, Toby immediately crawled towards him.

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Hermione said to her son and rolled her eyes. "Bah, you feel like you don't know need me anymore, eh? You got your daddy now."

"Sorry, Hermione, guess I'm just more interesting at the moment," Harry said and winked at her as he picked his son up and placed him on his lap.

Severus simply watched father and son together for a moment and then he once again glanced at Hermione. She had tears in her eyes; of course she would have tears in her eyes.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, don't be such a bloody woman," Severus said as he rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I feel that I have the right to be a little overwhelmed at the moment," Hermione sniffed, sounding a little annoyed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "Give me a break, you overgrown dungeon bat."

Harry snapped his eyes up at that. _Overgrown dungeon bat?_ Had he seriously just heard Hermione call him that, and was he really seeing things correctly? Snape was _smiling_ at her, as if she had just called him something endearing. Harry watched their exchange with growing fascination.

"Hush, harpy," Severus chided as he handed her a sparkling white handkerchief. "Don't force me to remind you that you only have yourself to blame."

Harry's ears perked up at that and Hermione's suddenly crestfallen expression only made him more curious.

"What am I missing?" Harry wondered as he shifted Toby slightly.

Hermione sent Severus a glare, who merely shrugged a shoulder. Then she let out a small sigh.

"Severus has been your strongest advocate," Hermione started explaining, "about Toby. He's been on me from the start to tell you, that you had the right to know. A few days ago he threatened to tell you himself, by Toby's first birthday, if I hadn't told you by then. It's why he sent the note to you; to get things going."

Harry was surprised; he had figured that Snape merely had been worried about Hermione, not that the older man cared so much about Harry finding out that he had a son. Why was he in such a rush to thrust Toby into Harry's life? Was it real concern and love for the mother and son? Or something else?

"Well, thank you, sir, but..."

"My name is Severus," the Potions Master interrupted. "Please refrain from calling me 'sir' and simply call me Severus."

Harry's mouth dropped in shock.

"What is with young people today?" Snape drawled as he turned to look at Hermione, raising a eyebrow at her in question. "When has looking like a fish ever been appealing?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"What did you expect, Severus? You just asked him to call you by his first name. Harry, love, please close your mouth. Severus is obviously trying his hardest to make you feel comfortable by making you uncomfortable. Snap out of it."

Harry shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his mind.

"Sorry," he said lamely. "Hadn't really been expecting that. Is there any water in that bag? My throat's suddenly quite dry."

Snape merely looked at him for a moment before he cleared his throat and said "Blinky". The next moment Harry jumped in surprise when a house-elf suddenly appeared.

"Mr Potter here is parched. Might you fetch him a glass of water?"

The elf bowed, popped out and Harry barely had enough time to blink before the elf was back.

"Water is ice cold, Mr Potter, sir!" the eager little elf named Blinky said.

Harry smiled at the creature and felt a weird sensation of pain wash over him. It had been much to long since he had been reminded of Dobby.

"Thank you, Blinky," he said sincerely and the elf beamed at him before she disappeared.

He took a long sip before he turned back to Snape.

"I will try to remember to call you, er, Severus," Harry conceded and glanced at Hermione in time to see her smile in approval. "I suppose you should call me Harry then."

Hermione almost rolled her eyes at him, since the tone of his voice made it perfectly clear that he didn't really want Severus to call him by his first name. Severus, of course, noticed the same thing.

"Come now, Harry, we must learn to be on more familiar terms," Severus said as Harry raised the glass to his lips to take another sip of water. "It's not as if either one of us are going anywhere, you being Toby's father and I his godfather."

If Hermione hadn't felt so horrified at Severus' blunt proclamation, she would have laughed. Seeing Harry choke on his water and then accidentally spray it all over his old Potion's professor's face really had been a comical moment, when she thought back on it. Harry was now couching violently while Severus' face scrunched together in disgust.

"Hermione, was there perhaps something you forgot to tell Harry?" the older man asked as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe; seeing Hermione's guilty face he knew the answer. "Ah. Of course you did."

"Oh, Merlin please, enough with the surprises already," Harry groaned as his arms tightened slightly around his son.

He turned to catch Hermione's eye and she actually looked a little sheepish.

"I wasn't purposely trying to hide it from you, Harry," she said quickly. "I just thought I'd let you digest all the other stuff a little first, before I mentioned that I made Severus an official part of the family."

Severus snorted at that and rolled his eyes at her.

"Hermione, please. You purposely didn't tell him, because you knew he didn't trust me. Why else would you have been watching us for so long before you chose to grace us with your presence?"

Harry and Hermione shared a look, both equally surprised. The boy who lived couldn't help but wonder if the affection he had seen Sna-, er, Severus, bestow Toby was real or if it had been an act.

"You knew?" Harry demanded, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly

Severus narrowed his eyes as well at the younger man's tone; Hermione thought he almost looked insulted.

"Of course I knew," the Potions Master drawled and then waved his hand towards Toby. "I always put up a ward around him when we go out; it notifies me whenever someone or something is less than one hundred feet away."

Harry couldn't help feeling impressed and the look on Hermione's face told him that she hadn't known that Severus usually did this.

"Then why did you have your wand at the ready when we approached?" Hermione wondered, frowning as if she was trying to solve some important puzzle.

Severus only scoffed and shrugged a shoulder.

"Now _that_ was merely theatrics," he replied as he leveled Harry with a very pointed look.

Harry felt his face burn, but he refused to give Sn–, _Severus_, the satisfaction of letting his emotions show that the older man had correctly managed to guess that Harry seriously had been wondering if the affection he had seen Severus show Toby was real or not. Instead, Harry turned his gaze to his son, who had dropped the purple hippogriff and was currently chewing on his left hand.

"Are you planning on going to George's wedding together?" Severus suddenly asked out loud.

Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Yes," they answered at the same time and couldn't help smiling at each other.

Severus merely nodded, not looking remotely surprised.

"Then may I suggest you summon George here prior to that; you will most likely get plenty of attention just for coming together, and since I'm gathering you want to bring Toby, you might want to introduce them first in order to have at least one Weasley as an alley when you arrive at the wedding."

"And also to check that it's okay that we bring him," Harry said as he shifted the boy on his lap. "Severus is right, just by being there together will cause a riot. If we bring Toby, it might be hard for others to place the attention where it belongs – on the bride and groom. But if George is okay with that..."

He trailed off and shrugged a shoulder as he saw Hermione nod in agreement.

"You're right, of course. I'll go floo him right away, see if he and Angelina have the time to come over for dinner tonight."

Harry seriously hoped George would say they could bring Toby. While he would understand if they said no, just the thought of leaving Toby behind made his heart ache. He placed a soft kiss on top of the boy's head and then turned his head towards Severus.

"Thank you," he murmured and gave a little smile when Severus's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Whatever for, Harry?"

Harry merely lifted his shoulders, not quite sure of how to answer that.

"Everything," he finally settled for, and then in a stronger voice repeated, "_everything_."

Severus smiled at the younger man and nodded his head once. In that moment, they both knew that whatever had been between them was now buried within then and placed in the their past. Henceforth, no matter how hard it was to wrap your head around, they would try to be friends.


	16. George, you're an uncle

_AN: Gaaaah, so sorry for the long wait! I'm going to try my best to not make this sound like a bad excuse, but life really has been crazy these last couple of months. I started working (after being a student for so many years) and that took some time to get used to. Then my fiancée and I moved into a new (and bigger) apartment (which actually happens to be the exact same apartment my parents lived in as newly weds 32 years ago – freaky coincidence!) and lastly, we're getting married in the beginning of June, so the planning for the wedding is taking up a lot of time too._

As a compensation for the long wait, I made this chapter extra long, rather than cutting it up into two chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen  
"George, you're an uncle"

George had, of course, been ecstatic at the prospect at having dinner with Harry and Hermione at Hogwarts and he immediately hollered to Angelina to "drop everything and get your cute little ass out here, we're going to Hogwarts!" Hermione had laughed and reminded him that it was only noon and that dinner would have to wait until six o'clock. For a moment it seemed as if the redhead was about to protest, but he conceded to her will and told her that they would be at the gates at precisely six, neither late nor early.

"I don't know what he's looking forward to more; seeing us back together or returning to Hogwarts," Hermione told Harry and Severus when she came back to the lake.

"I think both," Harry said and raised an eyebrow when Severus let out a snort.

As Hermione leveled him with a glare, Severus quickly changed facial expression, managing to look quite apologetic.

"Sorry, Harry, old habits die a little hard sometimes. What I meant was that it's _obvious_ that it's both; the Weasley twins, while notorious for their trouble making, always did carry true respect for this castle. I know for a fact he has desired to come back ever since he left."

"And you know this, how...?" Harry wondered, merely curious.

Severus shrugged a shoulder.

"He told me," came the simple answer.

At Harry's incredulous expression, he elaborated;

"You and Hermione are not the only two who are privy to my change of attitude; George experienced it long before you got here. While we've only spoken through the floo while waiting for Hermione to take over, we've managed to have a few good conversations."

Harry didn't quite know how to react to that, so he merely smiled and wondered what other things George had kept from him over the years. He understood why the redhead hadn't said anything about Snape being a nicer person these days, because then he would've been forced to also tell Harry that he was in contact with Hermione. But still... He hadn't felt so out of the loop since his fifth year.

They made their way back to the dungeons and on the way they ran straight into Headmistress McGonagall, who was returning to the Castle for the start of a new term and a new year at Hogwarts.

Harry was surprised when she didn't notice he was there – she only had eyes for the babe in Hermione's arms.

"How fast he grows," she said fondly as she held her hands out towards him, knowing full well that she didn't have to ask for permission to hold him.

Hermione smiled and handed her Toby without a second thought.

"Look, Toby, Auntie Minnie is back."

Harry managed to keep back the chuckle threatening to bubble out inside him; _Auntie Minnie_? While he was glad that it seemed like his son not only had the affection of the most feared professor of the school, but the strictest professor as well, he was pleasantly surprised that his Head of House had mellowed enough over the years to allow someone to call her "Auntie Minnie".

"I'm surprised you haven't changed his eye color yet, Hermione; all professors are due back today," Minerva said as she placed a gentle kiss a top the little boy's head, the boy gurgling delightfully in return.

"Oh, I've decided not to do that anymore," Hermione said matter of factly.

Minerva's eyes snapped over to meet the younger witch's gaze, not understanding the amused tone.

"But, Hermione, his eye color is too rare! It will only take one glance and everyone will know, including..."

"... me, right?"

Minerva jumped at the sound of Harry's voice. Harry waved from where he stood behind Severus, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat. Minerva was completely dumbfounded as she stared at the boy she had once considered being close to, unable to mask the shock she felt at seeing him again after so much time had passed; and more than anything, after everything that had happened between him and Hermione. She had never supported Hermione's idea of not telling Harry about Toby. She could understand the younger witch's resentment toward Harry, but had still tried her best to stay unbiased and objective in the whole matter.

"Oh, Mr Potter..."

Minerva handed Toby back to Hermione without so much as looking at the witch, shoved Severus out of the way – he grunted out his displeasure of being handled in such a way – and promptly engulfed Harry in a crushing embrace. Harry yelped in surprise and then raised his arms to hug his old professor, awkwardly patting her on the back. He glanced at Hermione and their son, who were both watching them; Hermione smiled widely, while Toby mainly looked confused.

Just as promptly as the hug had started, Minerva let Harry go; he staggered slightly at the abrupt change and then met her gaze with a small smile playing on his lips.

"I think the time where you call me Mr Potter has come and gone, Professor. Please, just call me Harry," he said warmly.

Minerva's eyes twinkled at his request and was about to return the favor when Severus let out a snort. Three pairs of glaring eyes turned towards him. The Potions Master merely rolled his eyes as he opened his mouth to explain.

"He wants her to use his first name without a second thought, yet I had to force him to agree to be on a first name basis," he grumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets like a petulant child.

One pair of eyebrows shot up in shock, another in surprise. Harry had never heard his old professor use such a tone of voice before, while Minerva was merely surprised that Severus _wanted _them to be on a first name basis. Hermione merely rolled her eyes.

"What are you, five?" Hermione wondered, letting out a short giggle at Severus' affronted look. "Come on, Severus, it's not like his resistance should come as a big surprise to you. You were an ass to Harry before, why would he _want_ you to call him by your first name when he's used to you biting his head off for merely existing?"

"Don't exaggerate so, Hermione," Severus grumbled, taking his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms over his chest. "I never gave him grief unless I felt that he deserved it."

"Oh, so he did something to personally offend you _every freaking day_ for six years?"

Harry had witnessed them banter this way before, and yet he was just as fascinated as the first time. He could barely believe that Severus allowed Hermione to talk to him like this. Minerva sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

"Have they managed to give you a headache yet, Harry?" the Headmistress whispered, raising an eyebrow in expectation as she waited for an answer.

Harry gave the pair a last look; he couldn't help but notice that while Hermione had an angry facial expression, her body was completely relaxed, her arm draped casually, yet securely, around Toby. He wondered if she really was angry, or if she simply was doing her best to try to make Severus feel bad – if that even was possible.

"Do they do this often, professor?" the boy who lived wondered, looking now at McGonagall, as he heard Severus say something about Harry going out of his way to make life difficult for him.

"Much to often," came the crisp reply from the elderly woman.

"No, Severus, that was not Harry, that was James," Hermione said sternly, and Harry froze, sure now that Snape would snap at the mention of his old enemy.

"You know, it's not only looks that can pass from father to son, it's personality traits as well," was all Severus said, folding his arms over his chest as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh, shifting Toby a little on her hip.

"I knew I never should have given you that book about genealogy," the witch snapped. "Perhaps there's a good reason why the wizarding world in most cases stay out of muggle sciences, since they obviously don't get it right anyway."

Harry watched Severus frown at that, but he purposely did not ask what she meant – he knew that she would start lecturing him in a moment.

"Personality traits are not hereditary, Severus. A child can take after a parent, but only because the child in question mimics the parents mannerisms. Children get their parents DNA, but it decides only their looks – not their personalities."

Severus opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the headmistress before he even got a chance to start.

"As fascinating as this is, I am going to settle into my quarters. Harry, would you like to join me for a cup of tea and a biscuit? Or would you prefer to listen to these two finish their squabble?"

Harry thought it over for a second; then he realized that while the interaction between Hermione and Severus was wildly amusing, he felt that it could go on forever and ever. Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry, knowing exactly what he had decided.

"Sorry, love; I love you more than anything, but I'm going to go with Professor McGonagall. Perhaps I should take Toby with me in case you start throwing hexes at each other."

Hermione scowled at him.

"If you want to take him with you, just say that. Like either of us would hex each other with Toby around," she said as she rolled her eyes, handing the boy to his father. "After you're finished, why don't we have some lunch?"

Harry nodded and smiled as Toby was placed in his embrace.

"Say bye to mummy," he murmured as he gently placed his hand around the boy's wrist to help him wave at Hermione.

"... aye."

Harry jumped and suddenly four pairs of eyes were staring at Toby in awe.

"Did I imagine that or did he actually just say 'aye', as in bye?" Harry demanded, his eyes immediately seeking out Hermione's.

"He did!" Hermione squealed with delight, her eyes shining with happy tears. "Oh, you make mummy so proud!"

All of them fussed over the boy for a few minutes, then they decided to part ways as planned.

"Bye!" Hermione shouted out before they rounded a corner and was rewarded with hearing a soft "aye" off in the distance, bringing a fresh set of new tears to her eyes.

Not only was Harry back, but her baby would start speaking fully soon. She couldn't even being to describe how happy she was.

"Hermione!" George shouted out with glee as soon as he saw the witch nearing the gates of Hogwarts.  
He could scarcely believe how much he had missed her; sure, they spoke and saw each other through the floo, but it wasn't the same as seeing someone in the flesh.

"You're late!" he admonished with a scowl, as he tapped his wrist with his index finger.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead, but gave Angelina a warm smile.

"You've never worn the watch your parents gave you for your 17th birthday, so why would I believe that you're wearing it now?" she wondered as she sauntered closer to the couple. "If you actually were wearing it, you'd know that I am _not_ late; _you're_ early."

"Why would I need to wear a watch when I can listen to my fully reliable, internal clock?"

Hermione let out a snort and shook her head as George smirked.

"Whatever. Now back up, George, so I can open the gates."

The redhead, who had been in the process of trying to squeeze his face through the bars, took a few steps back. Angelina grabbed his hand securely, knowing he would run at the other witch as soon as the barrier between them was gone. Hermione muttered something under her breath, waving her wand in a complicated pattern and a second later the gates of Hogwarts noisily opened.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, George and Angelina," she said, her welcoming smile turning into a grin as George bounced up to her, almost squeezing the life out her as he embraced her with his free arm. "It's nice to see you too, George."

They made their way to the dungeons, George almost skipping out of joy to be back at the school, while Hermione and Angelina watched him fondly, smiling at the change from adult to little school boy. Entering their quarters, Severus was found reading a book, legs crossed together. When Hermione had closed the door, Severus got to his feet in order to greet their guests.

"Severus, it's nice to see you in the flesh again," George greeted the Potions Master. "You're not as tall as I remember... How were you able to loom over us so well before?"

Severus chuckled as he shook the younger man's hand, a sound that still sounded strange to everyone except Hermione. Angelina could barely hide her surprise, but Severus seemed not to notice.

"Years of experience, Mr Weasley."

The redhead's grip tightened for a moment as Severus noticed George's narrowed eyes, he quickly realized his error.

"It's good to see you, _George._"

George smiled in approval and then dropped his hand.

"Severus, you remember the apple of my eye, Angelina Jonson?" he wondered as he beckoned his fiancée forward.

Angelina's eyes widened when the Professor greeted her with a genuine smile.

"How could I forget one of the finest Quidditch player's Gryffindor House has ever had?" Severus said, smirking as George and Harry each let out an indignant "hey!" "You are currently playing for the Harpie's, are you not? If I remember correctly, you were handpicked by Gwenog Jones herself."

Angelina was completely stunned for a moment and then, blinking, she found her voice as she got over the shock. She smiled in delight at the positive changes she noticed in him.

"That's true, I was. She is an excellent captain and a good mentor, as well as friend. I have been very fortunate."

"Yes, yes, she's awesome," George said, rolling his eyes. "Now where is Harry hiding?"

Hermione couldn't help letting out a little laugh at that, since he quite literally was hiding.

"He's in this room, George. And so is Toby."

Angelina glanced around in confusion, while George took a quick sweep of the room and then started muttering under his breath.

"... stupid cloak."

Angelina's gaze connected with George's.

"Cloak?"

"Harry has an invisibility cloak," Hermione offered in explanation, shrugging her shoulders. "The reason he's currently under it is because he wants to be a bit dramatic. The thing is, George, I lied to you about Toby."

George frowned, not liking the sound of that.

"What do you mean?" he wondered, hoping he had heard her wrong.

As far as he knew, she had never lied to him about anything and he did not relish the thought that it happened once. Hermione took a deep breath as she fought to calm her racing heart and the nervous flutter in her stomach.

"Toby isn't my cat," she said carefully.

George just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Harry?" was all she said as she turned towards the couch.

"Toby is," came Harry's voice and a second later the cloak came off, "a little boy."

The clock had stroked Toby over the cheek and he made a disgruntled sound of annoyance. George had been standing with his back towards Harry and the sound emitted from the child made him jump; the next moment he spun on his heel, his eyes immediately focusing on the boy on Harry's lap.

"Er... Hermione, is there perhaps something you've forgotten to tell me?"

"Yes, I suppose there is, but I will tell you know – George, you're an uncle."

George kept staring at the boy with his mouth hanging open in shock. Harry finally got to his feet, Toby securely kept in his embrace, and walked over to the redhead.

"George, meet Toby – my son," Harry said in a delighted tone, never taking his eyes from Toby's face.  
George's eyes bulged even more. _This is Harry's son?_ How on earth had he missed this?

"Sweetie, close your mouth, please," Angelina said and swatted his shoulder lightly. "Harry, Hermione, do you mind telling us how this – how he – came to be?"

Hermione merely smiled and beckoned everyone over to the couches. George had already heard about their night together, but they started from the beginning anyway, for Angelina's benefit. Hermione told most of the story, since most of it was hers to tell anyway. When Hermione came to the part about the ancient law about wives adopting a child of mistress, Angelina frowned while George mainly looked thoughtful.

"I understand your concern, Hermione," George said slowly as he leaned forward towards her, his hand clasped together in his lap. "While both Ron and Ginny are too young to remember it, it happened last in 1984. I remember it, because we heard mum and dad talking about it and then Fred and I spent weeks badgering dad, demanding to know if Percy had been claimed by mum from dad's mistress."

"Your dad had a mistress?" Hermione asked incredulously before she could stop herself.

George snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Of course not, but we were six and Percy was – still is – so different from the rest of us."

A knowing look was shared between the people in the room, Harry even nodding in agreement. Even Severus knew that Percy Weasly was very unlike any of his other family members.

"Finally, dad got fed with us and gave us our first and only spanking," George continued, shuddering slightly. "It was not pleasant."

Hermione smiled at that, then quickly grew serious again.

"George, if word about Toby had gotten out, would your mum have tried to push the law on Ginny, tried her hardest to convince her to adopt him as her own, simply to keep Harry and Ginny together?"

The fact that George had to pause and think about it made Hermione certain that she had made the right choice about not telling Harry.

"I honestly can't answer that," George finally said, his eyes sad. "Mum would've probably told her about it, but would Ginny have taken it to heart? That's the main question. Also, it would have mattered _when_ she would have been told – from what I understand, she's been happy with Neville since... February?"

He glanced at Harry for confirmation, who merely nodded.

"She might not have wanted it then," the redhead finished with a shrug of his shoulders. "But we'll never know unless you ask."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Hermione, may I inquire about the name?" Angelina wondered, deciding to change the subject to something happier. "It's not a common name for a wizard."

Hermione smiled, grateful to have something else to think about.

"He's named after Severus; Tobias is his middle name. But I wanted the name to have a connection to Harry, so I chose Toby instead."

"Not only is he named after Severus," Harry said dryly, "she also made the dungeon bat godfather."

George and Angelina gasped in shock – whether from Harry's big news or the name calling, Harry didn't know. He glanced at Severus, who mostly looked surprised at Harry's impudence, but his mouth had thinned in warning.

"What, is it only Hermione who can get away with calling you that?" Harry wondered, his tone innocently sweet.

Severus eyes narrowed ever so slightly and risked a glance at Hermione – the witch looked amused and she winked at him when she caught him looking.

"Very well, Harry; call me that if you wish," Severus said, rolling his eyes as Harry's own sparkled in victory. "Just know, that I shall refer to you the same way as Hermione does, and I seem to recall that she calls you 'love'."

George, Angelina and Hermione all laughed at Harry's horrified expression. Toby looked around at the chuckling adults before gurgling out a small laugh himself.

"Maybe I'll stick to Severus," Harry grumbled in defeat.

Severus smirked and nodded in agreement.

"That might be a good idea."

"Wait a minute," George suddenly said, just having thought of an important detail. "Harry, why didn't you answer Hermione's letter?"

Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Because I never saw it," Harry said, his eyes suddenly sad. "I can't be sure what happened, but Ginny must have sent it back to Hermione without me knowing."

"She didn't!" George gasped, sounding appalled.

Angelina just shook her head, a scowl giving her normally soft features a hardness Hermione didn't like.

"In her defense, she had just lost the baby," Hermione said calmly. "She was most likely in a very fragile state of mind."

George groaned, dropping his head to his palms. He didn't know why, but he didn't like the fact that Hermione was defending his sister; she had gotten away with way to much her entire life. Their mother had always been quick to defend Ginny, claiming that by being not only the youngest, but the only girl in a family with six boys was bound to make things harder for her. Fine, George could sympathize with that, but would Ginny be unable to do anything wrong for the rest of her life?

"Mate, Ginny may have done something wrong by not letting me read that letter, but she was probably terrified of losing me to the one woman she knew had a chance. I'm not angry with her, because... well, because it turned out in the end."

Harry reached across the table and grabbed Hermione's hand, who smiled and brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly."

George immediately perked up at that, Ginny suddenly forgotten.

"Oooh, that's something we haven't covered yet. Are you back together? Are you finally a big, happy family?"

The young couple just smiled stupidly at each other. Then Harry cleared his throat.

"Well, I haven't asked her yet, but if she will have me, I intend to make her my wife and live happily ever after with her."

Hermione froze, her mouth dropping in shock as she stared at Harry, who was looking quite pleased with himself. The silence was broken by the sound of George chuckling and as all eyes turned to look at him, they saw him shake his head.

"Harry, mate, I hope for your sake that you don't intend _that_ to be your official proposal," the redhead said as he caught Harry's gaze.

"Why?" Harry demanded, wondering what on earth he had done wrong.

Hermione was smiling now, but kept her mouth shut, letting George do the explaining. _Oh, Harry, romance never was your strong suit_, she mused. But it was the Potions Master who answered.

"Because even I, the antisocial _dungeon bat_, know that women cherish romance," Severus supplied as he crossed his left leg over his right. "A proposal is something they want to remember forever; in other words, it has to be _special_."

Harry saw George nod in agreement.

"How did you propose?" he wondered, genuinely wanting to know since he had no idea how to make it special enough for Hermione.

George smiled as he entwined his fingers with Angelina's.

"I took her on picnic out by the creak at the Burrow. We had strawberries and champagne for dessert before I set off some special WWW fireworks; a big show that ended with a giant heart, and in the middle I had it spelling out 'Will you share my life as my wife?'. The next moment, Angelina was attacking me with kisses, shouting 'yes, yes, yes, yes!'."

Angelina smiled at him and then gave Harry a meaningful look.

"It was perfect," was all she said and Harry suddenly felt miserable; he knew he would never come up with anything that good.

"If you would like to hear the story, Harry, I can tell you how your father proposed to your mother."

Harry's eyes bulged in shock at the words before they snapped up to the meet the Potions Master's. Green eyes stared into the black orbs he had once found to be without warmth; now they sparkled and it made Harry confused. Severus had hated James with a passion – how was it that the man could think about his nemesis and still have a sparkle a la Dumbledore?

"Please," Harry whispered, his tone begging for Severus to continue.

For a moment, the Potions Master looked as if he was regretting his offer, but retracting it now would be very bad form. He took a deep breath and launched into the story he remembered much too well for his own liking.

"It was the last Quidditch game here at Hogwarts your father would ever play; Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff, a game everyone knew would be won by Gryffindor," Severus murmured, staring off into space as he spoke. "Thirty minutes into the game, James caught the Snitch, ending the game, then immediately flew over to the stand where your mother was. He dropped to one knee, saying that everything he did, he did for her – even something so stupid as winning a Quidditch game. He opened the Snitch, held it up to her and said 'will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?'. Inside he had place a ring. She burst into tears, choking out an 'of course' and the whole stadium erupted in an overwhelming cheer."

Harry was smiling stupidly by the end of the tale, his eyes glassy. Of the few stories he had heard of father, none of them had conveyed that deep down he was a romantic.

"Severus, how do you know what he said?" Hermione asked softly. "Weren't you on the other side of the field, on the Slytherin stand?"

Severus let out a snort, and Harry's eyes narrowed slightly, as if preparing for the insult against his father's memory that he had expected would come since Severus first had mentioned his nemesis.

"Of course, but don't you think James thought of a way to make sure that everyone at the game heard his proposal? No offense, Harry, but your father liked to show off – anyone who knew him can tell you that," Severus said pointedly to Harry, who merely nodded in defeat. "He cast some variation of the Sonorus Charm; possibly of his own making."

Harry smiled and quietly thanked the Potions Master for sharing the story with them. He then glanced at Hermione. She hadn't said anything apart from her question to Severus, but her expression said it all – she also wanted something special and romantic.

"Very well, I'll be sure to remember to make it romantic," he said softly, flashing Hermione an apologetic smile. "I've never been good with romance."

He had neither had the time to learn before Voldemort's demise, nor had he felt the need to learn after the war. When he had simply shown up at Hogwarts, telling her that if she still wanted him he was hers, Ginny had been overwhelmed, while Hermione had been drunk when she had confessed her feelings to him, leaving him free to do the same. Romance had never been an important factor in either relationship, since they had been content with just being with him as he had with them. But he understood now that when it came to a marriage proposal, he would have to put some – if not a lot of – thought into it. He hadn't done much right in the last years, but this was something he would not only do right, but he would make it absolutely perfect.

"How are the wedding preparations coming along?" Hermione suddenly asked, effectively changing the subject.

Her question had been directed at Angelina, but it was George who answered.

"Mum's driving us insane," he said with a groan. "She's taken over everything. While most men probably enjoy not having to plan and prepare every detail of their wedding's, Angie and I were actually looking forward to it."

"Then why not tell your mum that?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows knitted together. "This is _your_ wedding, guys, not Molly's."

George and Angelina shared a look, one of the witch's eyebrows raised in challenge. _Ah_, Hermione thought to herself, _this is something they've discussed before and clearly don't agree about._ Finally, George sighed.

"Hermione, have you met my mother? When has she ever accepted a no or heeded pleas to stay the fuck out of other people's business?" he ground out, the cursing surprising everyone in the room.

"When it comes from one of her children," Harry answered immediately. "When Ginny and I left the hospital, she demanded to go with us home. Only when Ginny said no did she comply, however grudgingly. Have you ever even asked her to back off?"

George stared at the younger wizard for a moment, then bowed his head in shame.

"No, he hasn't," Angelina clarified, an irritated tone to her voice, "which has caused Molly to think that I'm more trouble than I'm worth, since I constantly tell her that I want things differently than she does."

She shot George another irritated look, who still had his head bowed.

"When she then turns to George, asking him what _he_ thinks, he simply mumbles something about being fine with whichever. In the end, she always wins."

The room was silent for a moment. Toby fussed in Harry's arms, so he put the baby down on the floor. He immediately crawled over to Hermione and reached for her, demanding to be picked up. She smiled as he settled on her lap and she turned to Severus.

"Does he still have some milk left in his bottle?"

Severus shook his head no, wincing as Hermione gave him a wink and a knowing smile.

"Then you might want to turn around so you don't get all flustered."

The Potions Master's cheeks burned as he swiftly turned his chair ninety degrees so that he couldn't see her, avoiding everyone's eyes in the process. George frowned, an amused smile playing on his lips as he watched the usually so composed Professor.

"Severus, what's going on?" the redhead asked curiously. "I don't think anyone of us here have seen flustered and embarrassed like this before."

"She's going to breastfeed Toby," Severus offered in explanation, lifting his gaze in time to see the younger man's eyes widen. "I prefer not to see it."

George glanced at Hermione just as she folded down her bra and he let out a yelp of surprise, quickly averting his gaze to lap.

"Honestly, George!" Angelina admonished, rolling her eyes. "It's one of the most natural things in the world; you must have seen your mum do it with Ron and Ginny a bunch of times!"

"That was different!" the redhead defended himself. "That was mum and I was a kid! Since then I've become a sexual being and Hermione's breasts are not mine to oggle!"

"Well, feel free to oggle them all you want, George. They are pretty awesome after all," Harry sniggered, winking at Hermione as she let out an indignant sound of protest. "What, you're going to say that they are yours and not mine?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and shifted Toby slightly. Before she got a chance to reply, Severus cut in.

"Can we please not discuss this, please? Hermione is like a daughter to me and this topic of conversation is making me slightly queasy. Perhaps you should ask the spouses-to-be the question for which they are here to answer."

Silence covered the room once again as each person needed a bit of time to overcome the topic which Severus had found so unnerving; Harry had to control the laughter threatening to bubble out, Hermione had to refrain from slapping him on the arm, George had to overcome his embarrassment while Angelina tried her best to rid herself of the smirk as she watched her fiancée struggle.

"So, what's this question?" Angelina finally asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"Hang on," Hermione said as she folded her bra back up. "You can look now, Severus, you big baby."

The youngsters shared a laugh at that, but they all sobered up real quick when the Potions Master sent them his best glare. Hermione cleared her throat and turned towards the couple.

"Well, it won't come as a surprise to you that we would like to go to the wedding together,"

George and Angelina merely smiled, shaking their heads in unison.

"However, we're wondering if you think Toby will cause a riot if we brought him," Harry continued, the mirth he'd felt just a few minutes ago disappearing at an instant as he gazed at his son.

"Who cares if he does?" George answered, sounding exasperated. "Of course you should bring him. He's your son, Harry, and as my best man you should have some special privileges."

Harry rolled his eyes and glanced at Angelina, who actually seemed to be considering the question seriously before she chose to answer.

"Be as that may, George, certain privileges is one thing," the younger wizard commented dryly. "Becoming the center of attention at another couple's wedding is something quite different."

He shared a look with Hermione, who was nodding her head in agreement.

"Seriously, George. Just Harry and I being there, _together_, will cause a riot. If we bring Toby there's a big chance that everything will be about us and nothing about you," Hermione pointed out. "And before you answer, take a moment to think about it and discuss it with your bride."

She got to her feet and beckoned to Harry and Severus to do the same.

"We'll give you some privacy. Remember, we won't be upset if you decide that you'd prefer to have Toby meet everyone another time. Come join us in the kitchen once you're done, but please, take your time," Hermione finished with a smile and then turned on her heel, making her way towards the kitchen.

She put Toby in the crib, hoping he would fall right to sleep now that he had had such a busy day.

"Severus, would you check with Blinky if dinner will arrive on schedule?" Hermione asked she stroked Toby's head, pulling the blanket up over him.

Harry stood next to her, quietly observing the procedure of putting Toby down for a nap. Toby seemed to be a little fussy, fighting to keep his eyes open, but in the end he lost the battle. Harry put his arm around Hermione's waist, and together they watched the gentle raising and falling of their son's chest as he settled into a peaceful sleep.

"Hermione, they are coming," Severus murmured quietly and the couple forced themselves to leave the crib in order to sit down by the kitchen table.

She noticed that Severus had made a pot of tea and set out cups for everyone.

"Dinner will be here in thirty minutes," the Potions Master told them, "so I thought a nice cup of tea would be perfect right about now. George, Angelina, how do you take your tea?"

"Lemon and milk for Angie, three spoons of sugar for me."

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew, really?" she demanded, hoping that maybe he was joking, but the redhead merely smiled. "So, that went quick; did you really have time discuss it properly?"

"Well, there wasn't much to discuss, Hermione," George said as he sat down across from Hermione, pulling Angelina into his lap. "Of course Toby is welcome to the wedding."

The redhead's gaze flickered over to the Potions Master, who was in the process of setting down two cups of tea in front of them.

"As are you, Severus," George said once the older wizard was sitting again.

Severus froze at that, his teacup coming to a halt halfway to his mouth.

"If mum or Ginny or _anyone_ has a conniption about either of you being there, we'll simply tell them to get over it or leave the party."

"But George, they're your family and they shouldn't be forced to leave your wedding because of..."

"No one would be forced into anything, Hermione" George interrupted her, "because they would be given a choice. I think mum is the only one who would throw a hissy fit and if she can't lay off, I will make sure to tell her how pleased we are to have you there and ask her to make a choice."

Silence hung thick in the room for a moment. Harry and Hermione shared a look, trying to decide if bringing Toby was a good idea.

"My presence will not make things easier for anyone," Severus suddenly pointed out, fidgeting a little in his seat. "Perhaps I should..."

"... come to the wedding to help calm Toby down when people are shouting all around him?" George cut in, an annoyingly sweet tone to his voice. "What an excellent idea, Sev!"

Severus let out a snort.

"Sev?" the Potions Master repeated with a scowl. "I don't think it wise for your to call me by that shortened form of my name again, Mr Weasley."

George merely grinned at him, knowing that he would not have to badger the Professor more; he made a mental note to remember that Toby seemed to be Severus' weak spot.

"George, Angelina... Are you sure about this?" Harry asked the couple seriously. "Perhaps we should go over tonight to break the news to everyone a bit more gently..."

"... and spoil the surprise when Harry Potter and Hermione Granger arrive at our wedding not only together but with a child that is theirs? Hell no!" George burst out. "Both Angie and I are adamant about this – we wanna see the look on mum's face!"


End file.
